FRISCO, Texas – Ezekiel Elliott, the NFL's regular-season rushing titleholder, is among three finalists for the FedEx Ground Player of the Year award.
The Cowboys' rookie rushed for a league-best 1,631 yards in 15 games and added 15 touchdowns, third-best in the league and the most by a Cowboys running back in a season since Emmitt Smith's 25 in 1995.
Elliott won the FedEx Ground Player of the Week award in Weeks 4 and 5, when he rushed for a combined 272 yards and three touchdowns in Cowboys wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals.
Elliott is the sixth rookie in the Super Bowl era to win the league rushing title, and his 1,631 yards are third-best all-time by an NFL rookie, 178 yards short of Eric Dickerson's 1983 record. With the Cowboys clinching home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and mindful of players' rest for the upcoming postseason, Elliott did not receive a carry in the fourth quarter Dec. 26 against the Detroit Lions, and he sat out the Jan. 1 regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles.
To vote, visit http://www.nfl.com/voting/players-air-and-ground/2016/YEAR/0.