Rival Eagles among potential destinations for former Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott
The market has began to reveal itself for former two-time NFL rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott, who was released by the Dallas Cowboys last week for salary cap reasons.
The NFC East-rival Philadelphia Eagles are among the known suitors along with the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals, a sources confirmed.
The list is not final but a decision could be made by next week.
Elliott rushed a career-low 876 rushing yards in 2022 while battling a hyper-extended right knee for much of the season.
But he scored 12 touchdowns and teams still covet his ability as a top short-yardage back and pass protector.
Elliott is clearly looking to continue his career with a potential Super Bowl playoff contender.
The Eagles are the reigning NFC champions. The Bengals are one year removed from a trip to the Super Bowl. And Jets are positioning themselves for a run with the pending acquisition for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
It was continuation of a decline in production for Elliott since signing a six-year, $90 million contract in 2019 and the rise of Tony Pollard as the team’s top running back that prompted the Cowboys to move on fro Elliott.
He was set to count $16.7 million against the salary cap with a $10.9 million non-guaranteed base salary. And that number would not stand after the team gave Pollard franchise tag, guaranteeing $10.1 million in 2023.
Elliott was released as designated a post-June 1 cut, which means the club will save nearly $11 million against the 2023 cap but he will count a little more than $6 million against the 2024 cap. The Cowboys will not get the cap credit until June 1.
The Cowboys bolstered position behind Pollard with the signing of veteran running back Ronald Jones to a team-friendly one-year deal for $1.232 million
Jones played last year with the Kansas City Chiefs after four years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has two Super Bowl titles on his resume.
This story was originally published March 23, 2023 at 3:36 PM.
