Ezekiel Elliot, the star running back for the Dallas Cowboys has expressed his desire to stay with the franchise that drafted him.
Ezekiel Elliott has high hopes that his final snap with the Dallas Cowboys won’t be one in which he makes a cameo at the center and gets run over during a hopeless play in the waning seconds of the game. Elliott expressed his desire to continue playing for the Cowboys after the team’s loss to the San Francisco 49ers (19-12) on Sunday.
In the year 2022, Zeke had the worst season of his seven-year professional career. In 15 games, he had 231 carries for 876 yards and averaged 3.8 yards per attempt, all of which were career lows for him. In addition to this, he recorded a career-low 17 receptions for 92 yards. This season, the only thing Elliott was reasonably well at was scoring touchdowns from short distances, and he did so a total of 12 times.
Speaking about his future, Elliot said, “I’ve definitely thought about it, I want to be here. I don’t have a crystal ball. Can’t predict the future, but definitely want to be here.”
This output does not warrant him receiving the $10.9 million basic salary that he is due in 2023, which also comes with a cap hit of $16.72 million. Since they put pen to paper on Elliott’s extension in 2019, the Cowboys have been hampered by the fact that it is for six years and $90 million. It is one of the reasons why Amari Cooper was dealt, and it is also one of the reasons why Dallas had to be economical while adding weapons.
This summer is the first time that the Cowboys will have a genuine opportunity to get out of Elliott’s deal without creating a gaping hole in their roster. If the RB was cut before June 1st, there would be a dead-money hit of $11.86 million, while there would be a savings of $4.86 million. If the designation is made after June 1, which seems more likely, there will be $5.82 million left on the salary ceiling for 2023, in addition to $10.9 million in savings for the immediate term.
Ezekiel Elliot has been outperformed by Tony Pollard
After this season, Tony Pollard will be a free agent, and the Cowboys may decide to sign him to a new deal in exchange for releasing Elliot. No other player on the Cowboys’ roster was able to replicate Pollard’s impact on the Cowboys’ offense this year.
Tony Pollard was the superior all-around running back in 2023, as seen by his ability to pose a threat of home runs and break tackles more effectively. However, Pollard’s injury that occurred during Sunday’s game that ended the season threw another monkey wrench into the equation as the speedy back prepares to enter free agency.
Due to the fact that they have been unable to fight for a championship year after year, the Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot era in Dallas may soon come to an end. Next year, Prescott will be the one under the most scrutiny, and if he is unable to produce, it is possible that Dallas would release him as well.
Pollard had surgery on Tuesday to repair the ligaments in his high ankle that were damaged as a result of the high ankle sprain that he sustained during the Dallas Cowboys’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Instead of having surgery where screws are inserted into the tibia and fibula to fix the fracture, Pollard had a treatment called the “tightrope procedure.” In this surgery, rather of using a stiff surgical screw, a braided polyethylene cord is used to return the bones to their previous position and to allow for appropriate healing.
It is anticipated that Pollard will be at full strength well in advance of training camp. Ryan Tannehill, the quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, and Tua Tagovailoa, who was at the University of Alabama at the time, had both just undergone the same surgical operation. Pollard also suffered a fracture to his fibula, but doctors expect him to make a full recovery in due time.
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