The Cowboys, as expected, talked up bringing back Ezekiel Elliott and keeping him along with franchise-tagged Tony Pollard. The Cowboys, as expected, later realized they couldn't afford to keep Elliot as a second running back and are deciding to release the veteran ahead of his eighth season in Dallas.
According to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Elliott's time with the Cowboys is done. Should the team designate Elliott as its post June 1 cut, it would recoup $10.9 million vs. the salary cap in relation to $5.82 million in dead money. Without doing so, Elliott would cost $11.86 million in dead money with only $4.86 million in cap relief.
With Pollard set to make $10.09 million guaranteed for one year should he sign his tender, investing a cap number of $16.72 million on Elliott made little sense. The Cowboys also can target a cheap young upgrade over Elliott, who turns 28 in May, in the draft. At No. 26 overall, either Texas' Bijan Robinson or Alabama's Jahmyr Gibbs should be available as a new option to pair with Pollard.
As for Elliott, he should find a new team because of reliable power running, red zone finishing and pass protection, but it will be in another committee situation, likely with another playoff-caliber team.
Here's a look at the top landing spots for Elliott as he enters NFL free agency for the first time:
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Ezekiel Elliott landing spots
1. Los Angeles Chargers
They are figuring things out with their dynamic, dominant receiving back Austin Ekeler, who has asked for permission to seek a trade to see if he can get a worthy raise for back-to-back elite scoring and scrimmage seasons. The team also likes Joshua Kelley as No. 2, but the presence of former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore could now have them envisioning a bargain Elliott with Ekeler re-creating the Pollard-Elliott 1-2 punch from last season.
2. Buffalo Bills
The Bills have been quiet in going after free-agent running backs with their own Devin Singletary unsigned for 2023. But it would make sense to examine Elliott to pair with James Cook, a Pollard-like change of pace and receiving threat.
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3. Cleveland Browns
The Browns don't seem to have plans to re-sign either Kareem Hunt or D'Ernest Johnson behind Nick Chubb and there are even mild rumors they are shopping Chubb in a trade. Elliott could help them as key relief for Chubb and there's a pre-Zeke Cowboys connection here as Cleveland's offensive line coach, Bill Callahan, preceded Scott Linehan and Moore as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator.
4. New Orleans Saints
The Saints don't have a trusty power back behind Alvin Kamara at the moment with Mark Ingram unsigned and Dwayne Washington now being the top backup. Elliott would make sense as a cheap upgrade for Ingram whom the Saints can fit under their limited cap space.
