The Dallas Cowboys didn’t do a lot right this offseason, and the mishandling of their backfield falls right in line with their other missteps.

The Cowboys are set to enter 2024 with Dak Prescott in a contract year and star wideout CeeDee Lamb potentially holding out into the regular season for a new contract. They’re likely to count on two rookie starters along the offensive line, and it’s highly unlikely that Dallas will support the offense with a strong ground game.

Dallas lost 2023 starter Tony Pollard in free agency and brought back Ezekiel Elliott to replace him. The problem is that Elliott hasn’t been a truly effective starter since the 2021 season.

Elliott had a couple of big games for the New England Patriots last season, but he averaged just 3.5 yards per carry on the year. The 29-year-old averaged 4.0 yards per carry or less in each of the past two seasons and in three of the past four.

The Cowboys only signed Elliott to a modest one-year, $2 million deal, but the expectation is that he’ll lead a committee backfield that also includes Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn and Royce Freeman.

Dallas’ line wasn’t particularly good at opening running lanes last season, and if the preseason opener is any indication, things might not be better in 2024—discounting Trey Lance scrambles, the Cowboys averaged just 2.9 yards per rush on Sunday. That’s not encouraging for a team whose lead back has lost a lot of his burst.

The Cowboys ground game is likely to disappoint in 2024, and, fair or not, Elliott is sure to take a lot of the blame.