SEATTLE -- Ezekiel Elliott finally made his Dallas Cowboys debut Thursday night at Seattle after missing the first two preseason games with a strained right hamstring. The fourth overall pick looked as good as advertised.

The rookie running back out of Ohio State rushed for 48 yards on seven carries, showing the Cowboys a little bit of everything, from pass protection to power to quick cuts.

Elliott played the first quarter and was on the field for 15 plays.

"It felt great to finally get out there," Elliott said. "I've been waiting so long to put the pads on and go up against a different team. It felt good.

"It makes my job really easy when I play behind that great offensive line. I can only think of one run where someone tackled me when I wasn't in the second level. When you're running on safeties all day it makes your job real easy."

Seattle defensive players were talking trash to Elliott after his first couple of runs and the rookie didn't back down.

"They thought they had to welcome me in because I'm a rookie, so they were giving me all that rookie talk," Elliott said, "but I had to let them know I belong here.

"The NFL game is a little different. There's a lot more talking in it. Normally I don't talk, but they were being chippy, man, and I'm not soft."

Seattle safety Kam Chancellor nailed Elliott after a short pass over the middle sailed by him incomplete. Chancellor was called for a 15-yard personal foul.

"I don't know what that was. That was a little dirty. It's whatever," Elliott said. "That's just one of those you've got to walk away. That's all you can do in a moment like that."

Elliott also nailed Chancellor a few times on runs into the secondary.

"The type of runner I am, I'm a physical guy and I try to set the tone early in the game, so you're going to see it a lot in the first and second quarter," Elliott said. "I'm going to finish my runs hard and I'm going to try to set the tone."

Elliott said he'd like to play next Thursday in the Cowboys' preseason finale against Houston but doesn't believe he'll get the chance.

Twitter: @DMN_George

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