Cowboys Rumors: Ezekiel Elliott Likely to Miss Week 8, Rest Knee Injury Several Weeks

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will reportedly miss at least one game because of a sprained knee injury.

Per Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Elliott isn't expected to play Sunday against the Chicago Bears to give his knee time to heal.

Head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Wednesday that Elliott would do side work this week while the team practices to rehab his knee.

While the Cowboys have a bye in Week 9, McCarthy said that wouldn't factor into whether Elliott plays against the Bears.

"That's just not the way we approach it, so we'll just see how he responds today," he said. "[Director of rehabilitation Britt Brown] will continue to build the plan based off what they accomplish today."

Elliott didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday. He suffered the injury in the second quarter of the Cowboys' Week 7 win over the Detroit Lions.

The three-time Pro Bowler returned to that game and finished with 57 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries, though he only played 31 offensive snaps. His 443 rushing yards this season rank 13th in the NFL.

The Cowboys will turn to Tony Pollard as their primary running back until Elliott returns. The fourth-year veteran has been more efficient than Elliott. His 480 yards from scrimmage rank second on the team behind CeeDee Lamb (490).

Pollard is averaging 5.6 yards per carry, ninth-best among running backs with at least 50 rushing attempts this season.

Following their bye in Week 9, the Cowboys have a stretch of three games in 12 days against the Green Bay Packers (Nov. 13), Minnesota Vikings (Nov. 20) and New York Giants (Nov. 24).