The Cowboys unofficially confirm the big depth chart change everyone was expecting

Not many NFL teams would choose to sign Ezekiel Elliott over Derrick Henry in 2024, but the Dallas Cowboys are a rare breed. Fans can blame this on the two men who have the final say on personnel decisions: owner Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones.

It only took one play for Henry's passing to blow up for the Cowboys, but the two-time rushing champion poured a pound of salt into the wound Sunday night when he trampled the previously unbeaten Bills.

Henry broke free for an 87-yard touchdown on the Ravens' first play from scrimmage. That's more yards than Elliott has produced all season (81). Henry finished with 199 rushing yards and two touchdowns and now leads the league with 480 rushing yards and five scores.

To say that Henry and Elliott are trending in opposite directions would be an understatement. While Henry is busy making history, Elliott… is plummeting on the Cowboys' depth chart. Last Thursday's win over the Giants was the latest evidence that Elliott is far from the team's preferred defender.

It's clear that Rico Dowdle is the lead running back. Even Hunter Luepke saw a bigger role on Thursday after flashing in Week 3. However, Luepke hasn't recorded more than two carries in a game, so the big story here is that Dowdle is overtaking Elliott at the top of the depth chart. He left Zeke in the dust.

In Weeks 1 and 2, Dowdle posted a running back rush percentage of 32.0% and 33.3%, respectively. That number jumped to 61.5% and 61.1%, respectively, in the last two games. If you thought that was meaningful, check this out.

According to Scott Spratt of FTN Fantasy, Dowdle had a backfield snap share split of 48% in Week 4, while Elliott hit 18%. Among RB2s, Elliott's split was the fourth lowest of the week. Only 49ers rookie Isaac Guerendo (8%), the Vikings' Ty Chandler (12%) and the Steelers' Cordarrelle Patterson (13%) had a smaller snap share split than Elliott.

READ MORE: The 10 Greatest Running Backs in Cowboys History

It was Elliott — not Dowdle — who was on the field for the Cowboys' final drive in Week 4, but the former played just two snaps before halftime. It's no surprise that Mike McCarthy trusts Zeke to finish games. His experience and ball security are of great importance.

However, it speaks volumes that he was reduced to a “closer” role after Jerry Jones said in April that he still viewed the 29-year-old as a starter. It took less than a month for Jones to be proven wrong.

Henry, on the other hand, is living in Dallas in the offseason and was open to playing for the Cowboys, who desperately needed a running back after losing Tony Pollard. And yet Jones didn't even care about that, choosing instead to cry about poverty when reuniting with Elliott.

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