Ezekiel Elliott Released

[p1_]

It takes a rare back to play a decade and take that kind of punishment.

in a word, Emmitt.

 

[boozeman]

in a word, Emmitt.

I thought that was a given.

 

[mcnuttz]

I wasn't talking about your photoshop skills.

So you think my photoshops are getting better then?

 

[boozeman]

As someone else mentioned, his inability or his basic refusal to take care of his body ultimately did him in. Fat, lethargic and disinterested seemed to be what he became after the big contract.

I think it is the opposite.

He was a limited athlete that somehow overcame his body dimensions with his enlarged head to become a productive NFL player.

His woo plays in college made him and for a couple of years, he was on top of the world. Then the off the field issues that really punished the team. Then the contract holdout.

It was time.

This will be an adjustment.

The way things are now, Dak Prescott is like this after losing his BFF:

 

[mcnuttz]

It's time for Dak to grow or go.

 

[Bipo]

 

[Cotton]

It takes a rare back to play a decade and take that kind of punishment.

This is what made Emmitt so special. He played hurt a lot.

 

[Cotton]

in a word, Emmitt.

Dammit, Chapo'd.

 

[boozeman]

Dammit, Chapo'd.

I do not embrace this new "chapo" thing.

 

[Cotton]

I do not embrace this new "chapo" thing.

Welp...

Benched.

 

[boozeman]

Welp...

Benched.

No, no. You can continue the gayness if you wish.

 

[L.T. Fan]

Elliot only had a couple seasons where he earned his pay.

 

[ravidubey]

I bet all those highlights are from his first two years.

His best game was that Pittsburgh one... his rookie year.

Yeah, we rode the shit out of him but I don't think he took care of himself like he should have. He was all downhill after his rookie and like second year.

You are correct, though I love how Zeke did make a point of destroying the Eagles.

Garrett insanely rode the shit out of him just like he did with Barber. That was the true laziness.

Lesson learned, breakaway speed and depth at the RB position is much more important than power in a lead star in today’s NFL. Two solid backs with breakaway speed and a short yardage or fullback who can block, catch, or run

 

[son of deadrise]

I don't think anyone could ever accuse Zeke of not being tough or a warrior. His first few years he tried to deliver more punishment to the tackler then he took. That takes its toll, obviously. He simply did not have enough tread left on his tires left to warrant his salary. That was obvious last season.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

I don't think anyone could ever accuse Zeke of not being tough or a warrior. His first few years he tried to deliver more punishment to the tackler then he took. That takes its toll, obviously. He simply did not have enough tread left on his tires left to warrant his salary. That was obvious last season.

All great RBs eventually wear down. I appreciate what he did, but that time has passed.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

 

[Cotton]

Cowboys release Ezekiel Elliott: It was right move as strong free agency continues

By Jon Machota
3h ago

Last August, Jerry Jones was a guest on ESPN’s First Take. The morning sports debate show had a stage set up in front of The Star in Frisco, Texas.

With Cowboys fans gathered in the background, the team’s owner and general manager raved about three-time Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott.

“He’s in the best shape he’s ever been in,” Jones said. “Now, it is still a fact, we go as Zeke goes.”

It was almost as if Jones was trying to speak it into existence. He wanted to believe that the 27-year-old Elliott was the same player who helped carry the team from 2016 through 2019, winning two rushing titles along the way. As the 2022 season unfolded, it was clear that the Cowboys’ rushing success was more about Tony Pollard, who made his first Pro Bowl, than Elliott. For the first time in his seven seasons, Elliott didn’t finish as the team’s leading rusher.

Standing outside of the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium locker room after an impressive 49-29 win over the Chicago Bears on Oct. 30, Jones talked to reporters about how the team was still going as Zeke goes. Elliott sat the game out with a knee injury. Pollard had a career day, carrying 14 times for 131 yards and three touchdowns.


And then there was the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this month. Jones spoke with reporters for 90 minutes about a variety of Cowboys-related topics. When the conversation turned to Elliott, Jones spoke about him being a difference-maker last season and how they could make it work financially to keep Pollard and Elliott.

The following week Pollard received the franchise tag, locking him in for the 2023 season. On Wednesday, Jones made the difficult decision to finally move on from Elliott.

“We have mutually agreed with Zeke that the best decision for everyone is that he will be able to experience free agency,” Jones said in a statement, “and we can increase our flexibility and options as well. This is one of the toughest parts of operating a team. Moments like this come, and extremely difficult decisions and choices are made. For the franchise. For me personally. For players, too. We will always have a special place and love for Zeke and what he means to our Cowboys family, both as a person and a player. That will never change.”

This was the right move.

Elliott was scheduled to count $16.7 million against the 2023 salary cap. Designating him as a post-June 1 release will save the Cowboys about $11 million against the cap. He will count about $6 million in dead money next year.
https://theathletic.com/4311388/2023/03/15/cowboys-free-agency-nfl-draft-strategy/
If he was still producing like one of the league’s best backs, the Cowboys would’ve found a way to keep him on the roster. But for a team that needs more juice on offense, they could no longer afford to pay elite running back money to a player whose rushing average has been declining and injuries have been increasing.

“Zeke’s impact and influence is seared into the Cowboys franchise in a very special and indelible way,” Jones also said in the statement. “He has been a consummate professional and leader that set a tone in our locker room, on the practice field and in the huddle. Zeke defined what a great teammate should be, and anyone that has ever played a team sport would be lucky to have a teammate like Zeke and be much better for it.

“His commitment and passion for winning is selfless, and the accountability he brings everyday earned the respect of our coaches, his teammates and our entire organization. He wore the Cowboys Star with pride and purpose every single time he put it on, and we’re a better franchise because of the example he set for veterans and rookies alike. That carried over into our community as well, with Zeke’s generosity and spirit about giving and caring for others.”

Ezekiel Elliott's rushing stats

YEAR	G	ATT	YDS	YPC	YPG	TD
2016	15	322	1,631	5.1	108.7	15
2017	10	242	983	4.1	98.3	7
2018	15	304	1,434	4.7	95.6	6
2019	16	301	1,357	4.5	84.8	12
2020	15	244	979	4.0	65.3	6
2021	17	237	1,002	4.2	58.9	10
2022	15	231	876	3.8	58.4	12
TOTAL	103	1,881	8,262	4.4	80.2	68

Elliott leaves the franchise in third place on the all-time rushing leaders list at 8,262 yards. Emmitt Smith is first at 17,162. Tony Dorsett is second at 12,036. Elliott is also third on the franchise’s total touchdowns list with 80. Smith is first at 164, followed by Dorsett at 86.

The next step will likely be to find another starting-caliber running back in next month’s draft. The Cowboys have until July 17 to work out a contract extension with Pollard, who turns 26 in April. If not, he will play under the tag, meaning about $10 million guaranteed for the season.

Running back is a young man’s game. The Cowboys have received outstanding production from running backs on their rookie contracts. Elliott was a top-five pick. Pollard was drafted in the fourth round. DeMarco Murray was selected in the third. Those three have been Dallas’ leading rushers in 12 of the past 13 seasons.

The top running backs in this year’s draft are Texas’ Bijan Robinson and Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs. Those are likely the only two the Cowboys would consider if still on the board at Pick 26.

But there are a bunch of other options in Rounds 2 and 3. The rest of this group of running backs were all ranked among Dane Brugler’s Top 100 players in this draft class: Texas A&M’s Devon Achane, UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet, Auburn’s Tank Bigsby, Texas’ Roschon Johnson, Tulane’s Tyjae Spears, Ole Miss’s Zach Evans, Oklahoma’s Eric Gray and TCU’s Kendre Miller.

Releasing Elliott and getting younger and cheaper at the position makes so much sense for the Cowboys. And judging by how the first few days of free agency have gone, Dallas deserves its share of praise. The Cowboys have traded for an accomplished Pro Bowl veteran starting cornerback in Stephon Gilmore. They have re-signed defensive starters Donovan Wilson and Leighton Vander Esch. They have also retained OT Tyron Smith on a more affordable contract.

What should be next?

Find a way to acquire a starting wide receiver to complement CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, add some depth to the defensive line and interior of the offensive line.

Do that and even the harshest of critics would have to give Jones some credit.

 

[p1_]

he was smart to hold out. He knew, his agent knew, the window is short for a back.

 

[p1_]

I don't think anyone could ever accuse Zeke of not being tough or a warrior. His first few years he tried to deliver more punishment to the tackler then he took. That takes its toll, obviously. He simply did not have enough tread left on his tires left to warrant his salary. That was obvious last season.

the warrior image for me is Emmitt playing through the shoulder separation against the Giants. Still amazes me.

 

[mcnuttz]

Hoorah for Zeke!