Ezekiel Elliott may have played his last down for the Dallas Cowboys.
According to a report from Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas is preparing to release the three-time Pro Bowl running back after seven seasons.
“[After] watching Tony Pollard surpass him as the team’s primary running back, a pay cut or release was inevitable,” Hill Jr. wrote. “And when the Cowboys gave Pollard the franchise tag of $10.1 million, ballooning the salary for the running back room to an NFL-record high $27.68 million in 2023, this day of reckoning was at hand.”
Elliott, the former No. 4 overall pick, posted a career-low 876 rushing yards in 2022 as the 25-year-old Pollard surged ahead of him on the depth chart with his breakout 1,007-yard, nine-touchdown season.
Cutting Elliott saves Dallas $4.86 million if designated as a pre-June 1 and $10.9 million if a post-June 1 cut. Just 27, Elliott should still have a solid market should he hit free agency.
Teams potentially in the market for a starting RB include the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Elliott rushed for over 1,000 yards four times in Dallas, including a league-leading and career-high 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns during his rookie season in 2016. He had 10 or more touchdowns in four seasons, including 10 in 2021 and 12 this year.
Even with Elliott’s probable release, the Cowboys appear set at the position with a 1-2 punch of Pollard and 24-year-old Malik Davis, who totaled 161 yards and a touchdown as a rookie but showed flashes that likely warranted a bigger role in the offense in 2023.
