Ezekiel Elijah Elliott (born July 22, 1995), nicknamed "Zeke", is an American professional football running back.

In his first seven NFL seasons, all with the Cowboys, he was a three-time Pro Bowl, two-time All-Pro selection, and led the league in rushing yards in 2016 and 2018.

[1] His mother, the former Dawn Huff, was a high school state champion in three sports before attending the University of Missouri and running track there.

[2] Despite his athletic pedigree, Elliott attended more academically driven John Burroughs School in Ladue, Missouri,[5][6] where he was a three-sport star in football, basketball, and track and field.

[6] As a true freshman at Ohio State University in 2013, Elliott rushed for 262 yards on 30 carries with two touchdowns as a backup to starter Carlos Hyde, mostly playing as a gunner on special teams.

[16] In the 2014 Big Ten Championship Game against the Wisconsin Badgers, Elliott rushed for 220 yards on 20 carries for two touchdowns.

In the 2015 Sugar Bowl against #1 Alabama, Elliott ran for 230 yards on 20 carries in a hard-fought 42–35 victory where he was named the Offensive Player of the Game, including an 85-yard touchdown run to seal the win.

[17] Elliott then capped the Buckeyes' championship season by rushing for 246 yards on 36 carries and scoring four touchdowns against the Oregon Ducks.

[20] In 2015, Elliott began the season by rushing for over 100 yards in 10 straight wins, including 274 against Indiana on October 3 (the second most all-time by an Ohio State player).

[21][20] However, the team suffered a 17–14 loss to Michigan State on November 21, 2015, and Elliott announced that he would enter the 2016 NFL draft.

In 2014, Elliott was named the Offensive MVP of both the 2015 Sugar Bowl and the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

[29] Before the draft, Elliott was labeled the most complete back to enter the NFL since Adrian Peterson in 2007, and was predicted to be a top 10 selection.

[44] Elliott was named the Cowboys' starting running back to begin the regular season, ahead of veterans Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden.

During the narrow season-opening 20–19 loss to the Giants, he had 20 carries for 51 yards and scored his first NFL touchdown on an eight-yard run.

[45] In the next game against the Washington Redskins, Elliott had 21 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown but also fumbled twice, losing one of them, yet the Cowboys prevailed on the road 27–23.

Elliott also became the third running back to rush for 1,000 yards after just the ninth game of his career, joining Adrian Peterson and Eric Dickerson.

[53] During a Week 15 26–20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Elliott had 23 carries for 159 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Since 1997 the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day football game halftime show has traditionally kicked off the Red Kettle campaign.

[55] With that rushing touchdown, Elliott surpassed Tony Dorsett and Herschel Walker for the Cowboys rookie record.

Because the Cowboys clinched the #1-seed in the NFC and home field advantage throughout the playoffs, Elliott rushed for 80 yards during the Week 16 42–21 victory over the Detroit Lions and did not play in the regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles.

[59] He tied Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis, and Ickey Woods for the second most all-time by a rookie behind Eric Dickerson's 18.

NFL officials conducted a year-long investigation into the allegations, and though Elliott was never criminally charged, decided to suspend him.

[74][75] Six days later, Elliott was granted a temporary restraining order, meaning that he would not have to serve his suspension from that point, allowing him to play in Week 7 against the 49ers.

[77] On October 30, Judge Katherine Polk Failla of the New York Southern District Court, denied Elliott's request for a preliminary injunction, which reinstated the six-game suspension.

[79] On November 3, Elliott was once again granted a stay by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which delayed the suspension.

[95] He broke 150 yards rushing for the fifth time in his career, surpassing DeMarco Murray for third-most in franchise history.

[98][99] During a narrow Week 13 13–10 road victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football, Elliott recorded 136 scrimmage yards and a receiving touchdown.

In the Wild Card Round against the Seattle Seahawks, Elliott rushed 26 times for 137 yards and a touchdown during the narrow 24–22 victory.

[139] Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien stated that Elliott would be used primarily in third-down and red zone situations behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson.

[149] In May 2021, Elliott was cited by police after one of his dogs bit and injured two people in his Frisco, Texas, neighborhood.