The Dallas Cowboys released their running back Ezekiel Elliott on the first day of NFL free agency, March 15, without giving him another chance to re-sign a deal.
He was picked as the fourth overall player in the 2016 NFL draft by the Cowboys and became a vital cog from his very first season. In 2021, the franchise reconstructed Ezekiel’s contract to adjust for the salary cap, but this time, they didn’t even bother to offer him that.
The Cowboys’ executive vice president, Stephen Jones, revealed the reason behind their decision not to re-sign him this time.
Why did the Cowboys release Ezekiel Elliott?
The 27-year-old had the best performance in his rookie year, 2016, and for the last couple of years, he has shown a significant decline in performance. However, Stephen sugarcoated the decision to release him by saying he did not want to insult him.
“The last thing we want to do is do anything that would be insulting to a player, to a great player, like Zeke, who was one of the best players to ever put on a Cowboys uniform,” the vice president said. “There are sensitivities when you get into making offers.”
Sometimes the best thing is to let them get a feel for what the market is. When you’re talking about great players — and that’s what makes them great,” Jones added. “They think a lot, not in a selfish way, but they perceive themselves as a great player and they are.”
The three-time pro bowler had his fair share of injury and fitness issues, but he continued to show on the pitch and worked with his teammate to produce his best. However, it was not a wise decision to play through an injury, and eventually, it bounced back on him.
Last season, he started all 17 games with a partially torn PCL, scored only 12 rushing touchdowns, and accumulated 876 yards of rushing at 3.8 yards per carry. His performance went down to almost 50% of what he did in his first year.
Ezekiel Elliot career stats with the Dallas Cowboys (7 Yrs):
1,881 Rush
8,262 Yds
4.4 Y/A
80.2 Y/G
68 TDs
22 Fmb402 Tgt
305 Rec
2,336 Yds
7.7 Y/R
75.9 Ctch%
12 TDs pic.twitter.com/s6UFPVbZfB— NICK (@nickC0711) March 15, 2023
Moreover, the Cowboys had already found a better replacement for him in Tony Pollard, who became their first choice in his stead. With Elliott’s release, they freed up $10.9 million for the salary cap.
“Zeke gave us everything he had and more, and we gave him everything we had,” the Cowboys executive concluded his statement regarding Ezekiel Elliott.
