Despite gaining over 8,000 yards on the ground, becoming the Dallas Cowboys’ third-leading rusher in team history, Ezekiel Elliott was released from the only NFL franchise he’s ever known this offseason. The idea was for the Cowboys to cut costs while moving forward with franchise-tagged running back Tony Pollard leading the way.
Time will tell if this financial move pays off for Jerry Jones and coach Mike McCarthy. The same goes for Elliott, who’s remained one of, if not the best free agent running back available since the day he was released on March 15.
On the open market for over a month now, the interest in Elliott has yet to take off. The expectation is now that the NFL draft is in the books, the 27-year-old three-time Pro Bowler should be able to find a home for 2023.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Elliott’s next team could wind up being the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who finished as the worst rushing team in football in 2022. Here’s what the NFL insider had to say during a recent SportsCenter appearance about Zeke Elliott.
“The Bucs could be an option for him. I’m told they’re looking for an RB2 behind Rachaad White. The problem could be the money. Bucs probably wouldn’t want to spend all that much, but could be an option there.”
NFL insider Jeremy Fowler on Ezekiel Elliott
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Interestingly, Fowler also added that Elliott could still return for an eighth season with the Cowboys, where he’d be set to share backfield duties with Pollard once again. The Cowboys did add Deuce Vaughn in the sixth round, but if Elliott doesn’t receive an offer to his liking, it’s possible returning back to Dallas for another season would be the best option.
Either way, expect Elliott to have a new team by the time training camps open later this summer.
