Report: Cowboys are ready to cut Ezekiel Elliott, possibly as soon as today

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 15, 2023, 10:56 AM EDT
NFC Divisional Playoffs - Dallas Cowboys v San Francisco 49ers
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Today may be Ezekiel Elliott‘s last day as a Dallas Cowboy.

The Cowboys are set to part ways with Elliott, and he is preparing to find a new team, and he could be released as soon as today, according to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

A release shouldn’t come as a surprise, given Elliott’s huge contract and declining production. He is set to count $16.72 million against the Cowboys’ salary cap this season, and is coming off a season in which he gained a career-low 876 yards and averaged a career-low 3.8 yards per carry. The Cowboys used the franchise tag to keep Tony Pollard, who at this point is the team’s best running back.

Cutting Elliott would free up $4.86 million in cap space, or $10.9 million if they designate him a post-June 1 release.

If released, Elliott will immediately become an unrestricted free agent, and he’ll surely have interest from several teams. But after seeming to lose a step in recent years, it’s fair to say he won’t get anything close to the kind of money the Cowboys have paid him.

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60 responses to “Report: Cowboys are ready to cut Ezekiel Elliott, possibly as soon as today”

  1. I’m glad he made his money because he has looked worse and worse each year after signing for big money. He will get picked up and maybe the motivation to step it up will be there to prove something to the cowboys.

  2. Maybe he can join Kamara in NO, and they can compare their nose ring collections!

  3. No great loss there. Zeke has lost a step and he’s not the back he used to be. Pollard has been a better back for a couple of years now. It’s time for Zeke to go elsewhere.

  6. WHEW! I was worried that Jerry would insist on keeping his guy under a renegotiated contract. We’ll see what he gets in FA, but it won’t be what he’s used to.

  7. C’mon Jerry, give another one of your players a contract they don’t deserve

  12. Cowboys will miss Zeke. He is a tough inside runner and very durable. The NFL is a brutal business.

  13. The tread on those tires has been bald for a while now. Funny how everyone except Jerry Jones could see that Pollard has been the best back there for years.

  15. About time. This guy was a clown who was so self centered and jerry stupid to pay a RB.
    Take the nose ring and retire.

  16. Would like to see the Boys bring Elliott back on a team-friendly contract. Think he still is a productive Cowboy.

  17. Bears on a 1-year incentive-laden deal. But they won’t because they’re dumb.

  21. Zeke is one of my favourite Cowboys of the last 20 years. Tough as nails, unselfish, great leader, outstanding hair. Thanks for the memories #21.

  22. Overpaid bum. 100 mil for Dak, Zeke and Coop and they never sniffed a championship.

  23. I am surprised Jones gave him such a big second contract. Typically, NFL running backs have a shelf life of 5-6 years and Zeke had lots of mileage. The Cowboys desperately need a competent GM.

  24. I think Zeke and Henry can both have a few more very productive years if they can find systems that do not use them as cow bell running backs. The caveat is neither of them should expect the same money if they are playing in a system where they are used as RBs in committee.

  27. As a fan of the D.C. team with the stupid name, I’m sorry to see him go! He was God-awful and we’ll miss tacking him for losses!

  29. RBs and WRs are a dime a baker’s dozen in the NFL. I’ve never understood why any team overpays them when they’re injury prone (RBs) or dependent on the QB (WRs).

  30. miamibeak says:
    March 15, 2023 at 11:43 am
    I wonder if he is walking around doing the “feed me ” gesture today?

    —————————-

    He will be doing that in job interviews niw.

  32. Addition by subtraction. Elliott always seemed to be a ‘me first’ guy, for whom getting to the Super Bowl was not his primary focus. But his face piercings and hair looked great.

  33. At this point the guy is essentially a short-yardage rotational back. I’d be surprised if he got offers much above veteran minimum.
    That said, he’s been paid plenty over the years. The man ought to simply hang up his cleats and call it a career, while he can still walk.

  35. Zeke has been used up and spit out. It’s the way it is. Walter Payton will never be seen again.

  36. A sad end to an era. He was such a great draft pick, and a wise use of cap space, as he led Dallas to multiple playoff victories ….. Oh wait…..

  37. Cowboys should get another 1 or 2 RBs since pollard is smallish, has not been a bell cow and is coming off a major injury.

  40. we should cherish the RB’s of the 00’s (Tomlinson, Martin, Faulk, Gore, AP etc)…. there will never been another 10 year 10k back again in this new NFL

  41. A Jerry Jones protege. A huge talent in his top form. Maybe it’s time to find Zeke a management position in the Cowboys’ organization.

  42. Years ago they did a piece on him and mentioned how he lived off running behind the best O lineman in football. when said lineman got injured, his numbers dropped severely.
    Dallas got their mileage out of this guy.
    Seems the trend now if find your talent in the draft, get that cheap five years and move on unless the person is a star player. Save the money on acquiring free agents. The long term love fest that Eliot had will be a thing of the past due to the first five year plans.

  43. Hopefully his new team has that Salvation Army drum in their endzone, it appears he likes to play hide and seek in it a lot.

  44. He has been washed for a long time. He was never a great back unless he had the best line in the game.

    He ran thru holes other backs dream of when he was productive.

  47. repost Zeke, baby, it’s not you, it’s me. We need to talk. Now over the years you have been great. And I truly appreciate everything we have done together, Salvation Army, lol fun times yea. But I didn’t want you to find out this way, but it’s true, I have been checking out other RB’s. I know it’s hard, hell it’s hard for me too. I think you should see other teams. I am releasing you from this situation. No hard feelings, no animosity. I wish you all the best (just don’t sign with another NFC East team, we don’t wanna face a fired up Zeke with revenge on his stiff arm.) We love ya Bro but it’s time for us both to move on.

  50. People
    Claiming that the cowboys will
    Miss him haven’t been watching his
    Last three years I’m Dallas ! No burst , the first tackle always drops him , can’t catch and he’s no longer effective at the goal
    Line either
    Retire now !

  51. This is the right move for the Cowboys, but I don’t think Tony Pollard can be an every down back or even a 20 carry per game running back. Zeke was no where near as productive as Pollard but he took a lot of the early down and early game carries, leaving Pollard to run against smaller or worn out lineups. People minimize the difference between carries on first and second down against bigger tackles, ends and linebackers versus carries against nickel and dime packages that have 5 or more secondary players making tackles. Few also account for running in the first and third quarters when defenses are fresh versus 2nd and 4th quarters when defenders are starting to breath a bit harder.

    If Dallas flips Pollard into the primary back position, which by franchising tagging him it sounds like that is the course forward, then his production will most likely drop a bit . . . still better than Zeke’s would be. But my bigger concern is is durability against more poundings by larger players. Zeke’s productivity absolutely dropped the last couple of years, but the dude was durable and could take a licking while keep going.

    Dallas needs re-enforcements at the RBBC position, and maybe the solution is to treat Pollard as a 1 year bridge and draft a RB on day 1 or 2 of the draft. But the problem with drafting a RB that early is most teams want to invest those picks in a good to great starter that they hope to keep on their roster for 8-10 years . . . that isn’t the shelf life of a running back.

  54. A few 300+ carry seasons and he was essentially all used up, as most RBs are. Only 27, but don’t see him making it to 30 in the league.

  55. “and he’ll surely have interest from several teams”

    Thanks for the laugh.

  56. Just another guy who vanished after getting paid. We all said his contract was ridiculous at the time, and so it has been.

    Jones has wasted so much time. First wasted the Romo era with not bothering to build an OL or secondary, then overspent on the wrong players afterward. Probably imagined Dak, Elliott & Cooper would be the next triplets when we all knew they wouldn’t.

    This is also about player greed. Elliott & Prescott squeezed the team, with Prescott doing so for multiple offseasons. They share the responsibility for hamstringing the team from building a winning roster. If those guys were less me-first, they may well have had a few more players that could have made the difference in the playoffs.

    They should take the cap savings from Elliott & add it to the tag amount to give Pollard a decent 2-year contract.

  59. I think Zeke is going to be disappointed by a lack of interest. Last several years he’s looked slow and overweight. There are better running backs available in rounds 5-7 in the Draft.

  60. I read every one of the prior comments: There seems to be nothing but universal hatred for Elliott. I guess that’s to be expected when you have the massive lack of self-awareness that guys like Zeke, Rodgers, And Russell Wilson possess.

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