It was just a few short years ago that Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was among the best in the game. Back in 2019, the former Ohio State standout recorded nearly 1,800 total yards and 14 touchdowns en route to earning his third career Pro Bowl appearance.
Unfortunately for Zeke, it has been completely downhill from there. The 27-year-old back is coming off a 2022 campaign in which he averaged a career-low 3.8 yards per rush. He also failed to reach the 1,000-yard total yard plateau for the first time in his career.
It has led to widespread speculation that Dallas will look to release the longtime running back ahead of the start of free agency next month.
According to several reports, the Cowboys’ brass has asked Elliott to take a substantial pay cut in order to return to the organization for an eighth season. It makes sense with Zeke slated to count $16.72 million against the cap next season. If Dallas were to release him outright, it would save roughly $5 Million. A post-June 1 designation would save the ‘Boys $10.9 million.
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- Ezekiel Elliott stats (2022): 231 attempts, 876 rushing yards, 3.8 average, 968 total yards, 12 TD
We now have more on Elliott’s situation courtesy of The Athletic’s Bob Sturm. It’s rather eye-opening. Scouts around the NFL believe that Elliott has “very little left in his legs, and the word is out.”
“I believe he has one option for employment above the league minimum, and it is right here in Dallas. I could be wrong, but if I am, it is a very low number. Maybe one year for $2 million or $2.5 million, which is a far cry from what he is used to.”
Report on Ezekiel Elliott
There’s some proof when it comes to Elliott’s recent performance. From 2016-19, the former Ohio State standout averaged 1,351 rushing yards at a clip of 4.6 yards per attempt. Since then, his splits have dropped to 952 yards with a 4.0 average.
Dallas has to worry about re-signing fellow impending free agent Tony Pollard, who performed at a much higher clip than Elliott a season ago. Pollard tallied 1,378 total yards while averaging 5.9 yards per touch.
There’s a good chance that the Cowboys opt to place the dreaded franchise tag on Pollard ahead of the start of free agency. That could expedite the process of them moving on from Ezekiel Elliott. After all, said tag is expected to cost $10.98 million.
Right now, Dallas finds itself over the 2023 salary cap with free agency slated to open in the matter of weeks.
As for Ezekiel Elliott, it might simply make more sense for him to return to Big D on an inexpensive restructured contract. It does seem to be something he’s open to.