In a move that may be surprising, the Dallas Cowboys released Ezekiel Elliott on Tuesday.
Team owner, president, and GM Jerry Jones announced the move, noting that he did so in the hopes that Elliott could sign with a playoff contender before the postseason starts.
“As I have said many times previously, Zeke’s impact as one of the greatest to ever play with the Star on their helmet will never change and is etched in our record books and history forever. We thank him, love him, and wish him the absolute best.”
Per the Cowboys, Elliott was the one who requested his release, as Dallas was eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago and is headed to its first losing record since 2020. The running back is now subject to waivers, meaning if any team claims him, then they would absorb the remainder of his 2024 NFL season salary. If Elliott goes unclaimed via the waiver process, then he will be a free agent and could sign with any team for Week 18 and a postseason run.
This transaction is relatively uncommon, but it is something that teams with veteran players have, at the very least, considered out of respect for that player. An example involved Calais Campbell of the Miami Dolphins, who, at 38, is the oldest defensive player in the NFL and in his 17th season. He revealed that he and the Dolphins had conversations earlier this year that if the team was eliminated from playoff contention, then the two sides could part ways so that Campbell could sign with a contender in what may be his final NFL season.
“Weeks back before the trade deadline, there was a small conversation that you really didn’t hope would ever even become a thing,” Campbell told the media two weeks ago, hoping that the Dolphins would never be knocked out of playoff contention.
“It was kind of like something to talk about, nothing concrete or anything like that. So, I don’t know if we’re there just yet, but it’s definitely something that you have to think about.”
While the Dolphins are still in the hunt entering Week 18, the Cowboys are not. Elliott’s second tenure in Dallas ends after 15 games and two starts. He rushed for 226 yards and three touchdowns, averaging a career-low of 3.1 yards per carry. While he started the season opener for Dallas, he had been relegated to backup duty for the majority of the season as Rico Dowdle has taken the lion’s share of carries. In Elliott’s final game as a Cowboy, in Sunday’s 41-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, he rushed three times for two yards.
As Elliott’s limited production and playing time indicate, his return to Dallas didn’t result in the outcome that either he or the Cowboys had hoped for. The low point came in Week 9 when Elliott was suspended due to disciplinary reasons, including missing meetings.
Cowboys fans would much rather remember Elliott for his first run in Dallas, as he was a first-round pick in 2016, the same year the Cowboys drafted Dak Prescott in the fourth round. During his first stint with the team from 2016-22, Elliott was a three-time Pro Bowler, a two-time All-Pro selection, twice led the NFL in rushing yards, and was the 2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year. His 8,262 rushing yards and 68 rushing touchdowns during this seven-year stretch were second-most in the NFL, trailing only Derrick Henry in both categories.
After leaving Dallas following the 2022 season, Elliott spent one season with the New England Patriots, also in a backup role. He showed enough in that one season for Dallas to add him to the mix at the running back position for this season, as the team planned on utilizing a committee to replace Elliott’s former Cowboys backup, Tony Pollard, who had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons with Dallas in 2022-23 but signed with the Tennessee Titans this past offseason.
There’s no guarantee that a team will either claim Elliott or sign him as a free agent, as his 3.1 yards per carry ranks last among the 62 players with at least 70 rushing attempts this season. So, if this ends up being the end of the line for Elliott, then he’ll finish his career with 9,130 rushing yards and 74 rushing scores. In regards to his time with a star on his helmet, Elliott’s 8,488 yards and 71 touchdowns on the ground both rank third in Cowboys’ franchise history, trailing only Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett.
