Cowboys' Mike McCarthy clarifies Ezekiel Elliott's role after benching

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy turned to four different rushing options against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Ezekiel Elliott wasn't one of them. The former lead rusher for the Cowboys Elliott earned the inactive label against the Falcons .

Many across the league wondered about Elliott's status moving forward. McCarthy cleared the air behind the veteran running back's benching on Monday with the media. Elliott first sat due to "disciplinary reasons." But McCarthy also shared what Elliott's role will be when Dallas faces the Philadelphia Eagles, via Todd Archer of ESPN.

"Mike McCarthy said Ezekiel Elliott will be available this week, but he has yet to sit down with the running back since having a meeting last Friday," Archer wrote.

The Cowboys RB was ruled a healthy scratch by the team. Elliott, however, missed up to three team meetings according to NFL Network Cowboys reporter Jane Slater.

Elliott watched Dallas fall 27-21 to the NFC South leaders at the Mercedes Benz Dome. Sunday marked the first time Elliott missed a game in his career due to a disciplinary reason.

Ezekiel Elliott losing ground in Cowboys backfield

Even despite his past dominance, Elliott faced a tough road to reclaiming the starting role.

He's losing ground even more. Elliott is on pace to deliver new career lows. Dallas has seldom used the two-time leading rusher from the 2016 and 2018 seasons, tallying only 48 carries for 149 yards and two touchdowns.

Elliott managed 184 carries for 642 yards and scored three times in his lone New England Patriots campaign in 2023. The fan favorite for Dallas walked into a young but questionable backfield after re-signing.

The Cowboys may have their new RB1 for the rest of 2024. Dallas handed the ball off to Rico Dowdle the most on Sunday.

Dowdle took 12 carries and racked up 75 yards, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. He added five receptions for 32 yards and caught a three-yard touchdown pass. Dowdle even tied franchise legend Emmitt Smith by scoring three touchdown receptions in eight games this season.

The RB who's three years younger than Elliott leads the way with 321 rushing yards. However, Dowdle is yet to cross the end zone through handoffs.

Meanwhile, Dallas mixed in Dalvin Cook against Atlanta. The four-time Pro Bowled settled for only two carries and netted eight yards. Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb ended up handling a couple of carries too — racking up only 15 yards on designed WR end around plays.

McCarthy set off the signal that Elliott is on his way back to the huddle. The Sunday foe Philadelphia earned a rather ugly 28-23 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars . Elliott has enjoyed past success against the Eagles, boasting a 9-4 career record against the NFC East rival.

However, Elliott is likely heading toward a non-starter role. His Cowboys are also riding a three-game losing streak before taking on the 6-2 Eagles.