Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has 30 carries so far this season and his usage became a topic of conversation this week.

Elliott said that he has spoken to the Cowboys about how little he has been used through the first five weeks of the season and how he was described as “baffled” by the team’s plan for him. On Friday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was asked about Elliott’s feelings and he disputed that characterization, while saying the team takes a long-term view of the veteran.

‘That is an exaggeration” said Jones. “Stunned is an exaggeration, a mischaracterization. It’s a poor description of how he thinks about things. He is very aware of the part of the running game he is involved in. More importantly – and I cannot stress this enough – we are saving him and we should. . . . Zeke is there, he will be there, because we want to protect him at this particular time.”

Jones noted that Elliott has dealt with injuries over the course of his career and that history is something a team should keep in mind when choosing to use a player. That said, there’s no guarantee that meaningful games will happen late in the season if the Cowboys don’t take care of business now, so it would make sense to get more from Elliott if the team thinks he can help them win games .