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Ezekiel Elliott claps back at anonymous coach’s criticism of Cowboys RB

Elliott was recently ranked as the third-best running back in the NFL by ESPN.

In ESPN’s continuing series ranking the top 10 players at various positions in the NFL, Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott came in as the No. 3 running back.

Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants ended up taking the top spot, with Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey landing in second ahead of Elliott.

While the ranking in itself may seem like a slight to some, Elliott himself took exception to one voter’s comments in particular.

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An NFL offensive coach -- who voted Elliott outside of the top 10 -- said the running back that showed up late to training camp after his 2019 holdout had “very few breakout runs” last season, and “doesn’t look as strong anymore. ... Feels like he’s about 60 to 70% of what he was.”

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While Elliott has rushed for 5,405 yards through his first four NFL seasons, he only four runs of 20-plus yards in 301 attempts last season.

Votes for Elliott came in as low as No. 11 and as high as No. 1.

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The discrepancy between his highest vote and his lowest vote was not lost on Elliott who took to Twitter on Thursday to voice his displeasure.

“Whoever that is, is faded lol,” Elliott said of the anonymous coach’s comments.

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Elliott’s comeback comes with a little extra zing after the running back caught some heat last month for saying he was “low-key faded” on one of his live streams. Elliott later had to clarify that he was merely referring to having had a few drinks.

He also hasn’t been the only Cowboys player to land on ESPN’s position rankings.

While no tight end made the first installment, Dak Prescott was ranked as the league’s No. 9 quarterback.

-- Read ESPN’s full RB rankings here.

Find more Cowboys stories from The Dallas Morning News here.