Bob Sturm of The Athletic explains in a latest piece that scouts are whispering that Dallas Cowboys operating again Ezekiel Elliott is finished — with out really saying it. “He has little or no left in his legs, and the phrase is out.” So, in different phrases, scouts are noticing what a lot of the soccer world has recognized for no less than the previous couple of years.

Zeke is now a short-yardage “specialist”

At one time, Elliott was a workhorse operating again carrying the ball 20 plus occasions per recreation and was lowered to nothing greater than a short-yardage “specialist” through the 2022 marketing campaign. Elliott was hampered by accidents this season which compelled him to overlook two video games and acquire simply 876 yards on the bottom and three.8 yards per carry. Each had been the bottom of his seven-year NFL profession.

Fairly frankly, Zeke is a backup operating again making big-time starter cash. That’s the one strategy to view it now. There’s no query that Tony Pollard is the person in Dallas’ backfield, and Elliott is citing the rear. Whereas Elliott did contact the endzone 12 occasions in ‘22, all these touchdowns got here within the pink zone. Many from inside the five-yard line. It’s nice that Elliott has accepted his new position within the Cowboys’ offense, however using a $90 million again to play on brief yardage downs and block within the passing recreation isn’t sustainable.

Zeke is scheduled to make just below $11 million in base wage for 2023, however is seemingly prepared to take a pay minimize if meaning he can keep in Dallas. I can’t solely agree with gamers providing up pay cuts, however once they do, administration can be silly to not take them up on the provide. NFL gamers ought to get each penny they’ll, however Elliott’s worth has tanked a lot that Jerry Jones and the Cowboys are the one franchise that covets the previous All-Professional ball service. Even when Zeke takes the pay minimize in Dallas, he’s prone to make greater than he would anyplace else within the league.

Operating on E-mpty

At the present time has been a very long time coming. You might see some slippage with Elliott going again so far as 2020. Much less explosiveness and lack of wiggles had begun to change into obvious. Elliott had a little bit of a bounce again in ‘21, hitting the 1,000-yard threshold, though it took him all 17 video games to go over the mark by two yards. Paying a operating again over $10 million a 12 months to hurry for 1,002 or fewer yards, which Elliott completed the previous three years, is absurd in in the present day’s NFL.

Another staff would minimize its losses and transfer on from Elliott. However Jones might be loyal to a fault with some gamers, and generally it impedes their progress. We’re continuously listening to about how a lot Jones desires to win once more. However his actions don’t all the time match that power. They’ve held onto Zeke for too lengthy, traded away Amari Cooper, and might’t ever determine a strategy to signal star free brokers (Von Miller) who wish to play in Dallas.

Different groups determine methods across the wage cap, however Jones acts like he can’t do the identical. Elliott has been accomplished as a premier again for no less than three years now, and it’s time to maneuver on. If there’s a strategy to work out one thing together with his contract that frees up cap area for Dallas, that’s what must occur. However we’ve recognized for a while that Elliott is not that grind it out go to again in big-game conditions. If the Cowboys consider Pollard is their foremost man now, they should roll with it and discover a means out of paying Elliott a lot towards the cap.