Cowboys' Jerry Jones dismisses Ezekiel Elliott's lack of opportunity complaint as an "exaggeration"

Ezekiel Elliott doesn't like the lack of production he's had back in Dallas. After returning to the Cowboys as a free agent, Elliott thought he'd be more involved in the team's offense.

Through the first five games of the season, Elliott has 36 total touches, 30 carries and six receptions, averaging 7.2 touches per game. Elliott is "dumbfounded" by the lack of opportunities he's had this season.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones dismissed Elliott's comments about his lack of prodcution, stating that it's an exaggeration. Jones said he can't emphasize more that the Cowboys are "saving" Elliott by limiting his snap count.

During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jones said:

"That's an exaggeration. Dumbfounded is a mischaracterization and a bad description of how he feels about things. We're saving him, and we should be. Rico is an outstanding running back. He's always had the challenge because of his size of doing his blocking and protecting the quarterback."

"But his problem has been what? He's has injuries over the course of his career. So it would be madness to depend on [that.] Zeke is there and we want to protect him over this particular period of time."

Ezekiel Elliott had his most productive game of the season in Week 1. He had 10 carries, the most this season in a single game, and two receptions, which is tied for most catches in a single game. Since then, he's averaging just five touches a game.

Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys have the second-worst rushing attack in the NFL this season

The Dallas Cowboys lost Tony Pollard to the Tennessee Titans in free agency and as a result, the run attack has suffered. Dallas currently ranks second to last in rushing yards with 410 yards through five games, averaging just 82 yards per game.

Elliott is the team's second leading rusher with 98 yards on 30 carries this season. Fifth-year running back Rico Dowdle is the team's leading rusher with 221 yards on a team-high 54 carries.

While Ezekiel Elliott and Dowdle each have at least 30 carries this season, no other Cowboy has more than 10 carries on the team. Only two other players, Deuce Vaughn and Hunter Luepke, have carried the ball this season for Dallas, with neither having more than seven carries.

Dallas has one of the least-threatening run games in the NFL, and if the goal is to make a deep run in the playoffs, the team will have to work on being less one-dimensional.