News: Should the Cowboys Seriously Consider Moving on From Ezekiel Elliott?

[SoupcanSam]

Should the Dallas Cowboys Seriously Consider Moving on From Ezekiel Elliott?
by Rick Thomas on December 8, 2020

The Dallas Cowboys are experiencing one of the worst seasons in franchise history. Through 11 games, they hold a dismal 3-8 record, with virtually no postseason hopes. Pundits are eager to assign blame, pointing fingers at everyone from owner Jerry Jones to coach Mike McCarthy. A significant number of commentators have also highlighted Ezekiel Elliott’s poor year.

Some analysts have even suggested that it’s time for the Cowboys to move on from their star running back. Let’s look at Elliott’s NFL career, his poor performance this year, and whether Dallas needs to consider letting him go.

Dallas selected Elliott with the fourth overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. At the time, he was considered among the best running back prospects of the last decade. Not only was he fast and strong, but he also had a preternatural gift for pulling down passes — and blocking opponents. Those high expectations proved totally justified during Elliott’s rookie year.

That season, he made 322 rushing attempts for 1,631 total yards (best in the NFL), with 15 touchdowns and 95 first downs. He compiled a whopping 108.7 rushing yards per game, while also catching 32 passes for 363 passing yards. His dominant season earned Elliott both Pro Bowl and First-team All-Pro selections.

Elliott’s second season was marred by a six-game personal conduct violation. He bounced back in years three and four, racking up 1,434 and 1,457 rushing yards, respectively. The 2018 season also saw Elliott catch a career-high 77 passes, for 567 yards and an 81.1% catch percentage. Elliott earned his second and third Pro Bowl selections in those years, while once again leading the NFL in rushing yards in 2018.

Elliott‘s numbers this season have gone down significantly from his prior years. Through 11 games he has totaled just 707 rushing yards. He’s rushing for just 64.3 yards per game, down over 20 yards from his performance just last season. Meanwhile, he’s making just two less rushing attempts per game — not enough to account for such a big drop-off in performance.

Elliott’s yards per touch stat is also at a career-low at just 4.4 yards per touch, meaning he’s not making up for his lost rushing efficiency when it comes to receiving. That fact is borne out by Elliott’s 72.2% catch percentage, which is down significantly from his numbers in both 2018 and 2019. Meanwhile, Elliott has already fumbled the ball six times, which matches his career-worst total.

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https://www.sportscasting.com/shoul...n-from-ezekiel-elliott/?ref=NEWSandRUMORS.com

I'm seriously done with Zeke. His good years are behind him, he has slowed down, and he is a fat.

Call me shallow I guess

 

[starfan1]

Seems I recall the same thing was said about McFadden over Murray, but then Murray had 1,845 yards McFadden followed that with 1,089 yards. Similar production at a lower price?
Hardly.

That's always been the case at Dallas, the back up gets lots of love - until he is the starter and doesn't do great, then HIS backup gets lots of love.

Never ends...

I know your a RB apologist but if your comparing 2014 to 2015 when McFadden played with garbage at QB after Romo got hurt and didnt even play 16 games (10) its not apples to apples. i do understand your point about fans always wanting the back up but this argument dont hold water

 

[RonnieT24]

Give him one more season and then don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya.

They don't really have much choice but to give him next because of the cap implications. I also think because he has been such a good soldier fighting through all the trash going on around him this year they owe him at least that. If he proves he doesn't have it next year, you get a new RB and move on. But I think it would be a mistake to assume that just because he hasn't thrived with no blocking and below average overall QB play for the last 6 games it aint in him. There is time left to see.

 

[CouchCoach]

What are the cap implications? That's the tricky part of this and it's unknown how the NFL/NFLPA is going to treat this upcoming season.

I still believe there's something wrong with Elliott. He doesn't have same snap and on this fumbles he was carrying the ball wrong and that's not his usual game. Don't know if this is a temporary thing, maybe a holdover from the summer, or a real decline but he's not the same RB.

 

[aria]

Seems I recall the same thing was said about McFadden over Murray, but then Murray had 1,845 yards McFadden followed that with 1,089 yards. Similar production at a lower price?
Hardly.

That's always been the case at Dallas, the back up gets lots of love - until he is the starter and doesn't do great, then HIS backup gets lots of love.

Never ends...

They’re YOC we’re almost dead even, Murray had almost 150 more carries than McFadden. If we’re going strictly off of total yards in a season due to total carries than Murray was clearly the much better back over Zeke, including 2016.

 

[RonnieT24]

I know your a RB apologist but if your comparing 2014 to 2015 when McFadden played with garbage at QB after Romo got hurt and didnt even play 16 games (10) its not apples to apples. i do understand your point about fans always wanting the back up but this argument dont hold water

McFadden was never Murray's backup to my knowledge. But you have it wrong about his playing in 10 games. It's simply not true. He only STARTED 10 games after Randle got himself canned. But D-Mac was there the whole season. He was Randle's backup the first 6 games. His problem was that he couldn't find his way to the end zone.. He ran for 3 TDs that season.. That's hard to do.. I think Randle had that many in one game against ATL. I always thought his problem was lack of lower body power. He was a top heavy guy who had the calves of a cheerleader. Skinniest RB legs I have ever seen. If you hit him up top he could shake you off but hit him below the waist and down goes Frazier!

 

[blueblood70]

Zeke couldn't hold Emmitts jock strap at this point. Its not even a comparison anymore.

ES had 7 years at 4.0 or less AAV yearly average, only one over 5.0 and 3 over 4.5..so in 13 seasons he had about 6 just like this, only difference it was covered up by by being on team full of HOF players and HOF coaches and an era where this was the norm, not analytics and he wasn't under microscope..

Zeke and Es are the same players, volume backs whos bets years were being supported by great OL and a QB threat with good defense and coaching..

dont argue ES clearly had stats just like this for half his career built the DC team he was on kept running him no matter what even if it ended with 3.8 YPC FACS its all in his career stats..

does zeke have the advantages that Tony and Emmitt had , no way.

hes every bit as good a player, maybe not off field etc but as player , they are very comparable.

 

[Bohuntr97]

OTC has Zeke at 10 million in guaranteed salary next year. He's likely not going anywhere until after that.

 

[aria]

Same guys that say you should never give a RB a 2nd contract will tell you they'd take Alvin Kamara in a heartbeat (guy is on his second contract)...

Not necessarily, there are a lot of other factors. In general I not a fan of giving RB’s second contracts but someone like Henry who has a lot less miles and who’s guaranteed money is half of zeke’s...yes please.

 

[nobody]

They don't really have much choice but to give him next because of the cap implications. I also think because he has been such a good soldier fighting through all the trash going on around him this year they owe him at least that. If he proves he doesn't have it next year, you get a new RB and move on. But I think it would be a mistake to assume that just because he hasn't thrived with no blocking and below average overall QB play for the last 6 games it aint in him. There is time left to see.

I have to respectfully disagree. Anything they might have owed him is null and void when he held out with not one, but TWO years left on his contract. At that point, he proved he was merely a mercenary. So he's getting paid to perform. His current performance does not match up with the pay he's receiving. They owe him nothing. The only things they should worry about are cap implications and whether they think he'll bounce back or not.

 

[starfan1]

McFadden was never Murray's backup to my knowledge. But you have it wrong about his playing in 10 games. It's simply not true. He only STARTED 10 games after Randle got himself canned. But D-Mac was there the whole season. He was Randle's backup the first 6 games. His problem was that he couldn't find his way to the end zone.. He ran for 3 TDs that season.. That's hard to do.. I think Randle had that many in one game against ATL. I always thought his problem was lack of lower body power. He was a top heavy guy who had the calves of a cheerleader. Skinniest RB legs I have ever seen. If you hit him up top he could shake you off but hit him below the waist and down goes Frazier!

getting into the end zone was not necessarily a problem that was isolated to just DMac. the cowboys in general have had an issue with that and no he never backed up Murray. Murray was in Philly in 2015. Dmac was in Oakland in 2014

 

[RonnieT24]

What are the cap implications? That's the tricky part of this and it's unknown how the NFL/NFLPA is going to treat this upcoming season.

I still believe there's something wrong with Elliott. He doesn't have same snap and on this fumbles he was carrying the ball wrong and that's not his usual game. Don't know if this is a temporary thing, maybe a holdover from the summer, or a real decline but he's not the same RB.

He is guaranteed 9.6 million next season. So they gotta pay 2021 whether he plays a down for them. His 2021 cap number is 13.7 million. If they cut him pre June1 it jumps to 24.5 million. If they do it after June 1 they spread it across two seasons but still can save 5.7 million against the 2022 cap and 8 million against 2023. Zeke's agent was no dummy, that's why he included salary guarantees into the contract which precludes the Cowboys screwing with him like that. I believe there are dates where his NEXT year's salary becomes guarantee and those are timed such that the Cowboys would be committing cap suicide if they cut Zeke before those dates. That's a good agent.. Dak should hire him..

 

[aria]

They don't really have much choice but to give him next because of the cap implications. I also think because he has been such a good soldier fighting through all the trash going on around him this year they owe him at least that. If he proves he doesn't have it next year, you get a new RB and move on. But I think it would be a mistake to assume that just because he hasn't thrived with no blocking and below average overall QB play for the last 6 games it aint in him. There is time left to see.

LOL! Good soldier!? C’mon now Ronnie, you gotta be trolling.

This guy has been nothing but a headache throughout college and since draft day with the Cowboys. Then she sat out with two years left on her contract until she was the highest paid for her position and now she’s “a good soldier” because she doesn’t have a top 10 O line?!

There’s zero chance you really believe this unless your water is tainted with lead based paint chips. You had to have been laughing when you typed that.

 

[RonnieT24]

getting into the end zone was not necessarily a problem that was isolated to just DMac. the cowboys in general have had an issue with that and no he never backed up Murray. Murray was in Philly in 2015. Dmac was in Oakland in 2014

IMHO a lot of the Cowboys trouble finding the end zone on the ground back in the day stemmed from Romo audibling out of any running play that was call when we got down close. He had no trouble handing it to Jones and Barber when he was first broke into the lineup but once he became growed up Romo he always wanted to throw it.. Then he finally saw the light again during Murray's monster season.. Still DMac was simply never a big TD scorer. Even in Oakland his best two seasons were 7 and 5 TDs respectively. And he only scored 28 total for his career. That's not a lot of TDs for a 10 year career. Two or three guys have topped that in one season..

 

[pitt33]

Give him another year. Too big a cap hit next year.

Personally, I think he’s toast. Just a huge drop in production these past two seasons. He never attempts to bounce it outside anymore. He turns upfield between the tackles constantly. No juice to get to the outside.

I wish he had Cook’s or Jones’s work ethic. No way a RB should be this different at 25. But then again Bell had a few good years in Pittsburgh then very little ever since.

 

[CouchCoach]

I have to respectfully disagree. Anything they might have owed him is null and void when he held out with not one, but TWO years left on his contract. At that point, he proved he was merely a mercenary. So he's getting paid to perform. His current performance does not match up with the pay he's receiving. They owe him nothing. The only things they should worry about are cap implications and whether they think he'll bounce back or not.

They are all mercenaries and he just pushed the envelope a year early when they exercised that option and that has proven to be a good move on his part as he is not performing at that pay level, I agree with that. His timing of this was remarkable, as if he knew this decline was coming.

But I disagree that they owe him nothing, the contract says they do and I never fault the player for the contract, he and his agent out negotiated the Jones just as most of their star players have.

The Cowboys didn't have to capitulate, PIT made Bell an offer and he refused it and sat out.

 

[RonnieT24]

They are all mercenaries and he just pushed the envelope a year early when they exercised that option and that has proven to be a good move on his part as he is not performing at that pay level, I agree with that. His timing of this was remarkable, as if he knew this decline was coming.

But I disagree that they owe him nothing, the contract says they do and I never fault the player for the contract, he and his agent out negotiated the Jones just as most of their star players have.

The Cowboys didn't have to capitulate, PIT made Bell an offer and he refused it and sat out.

Yeah I don't get mad at players for getting their money. They are the ones who are going to be limping around with beat up bodies for life and be in and out of surgeries for one malady after another when their playing days are over not the owners. I didn't LIKE that Zeke held out, but I understood it. Having seen the Cowboys use up guys like Dez and Murray and then spit them out had to weigh on his mind. They were clearly trying to do same to him. I applaud him and his agent for saying the hell with that.. Maybe the magic is gone forever.. but I keep going back to Emmitt.. he went through a similar "decline" at about the same stage of his career and had people all over the league shoveling dirt over him. I think he tacked on another 9000 or so yards and 50 or so more TDs after being left for dead. Either way, the cap says we are going to get at least next year to find out.. I can wait..

 

[Darkhound]

we need to get rid of him and this entire family (Jones) + Zeke

 

[J_Allen]

What are the cap implications? That's the tricky part of this and it's unknown how the NFL/NFLPA is going to treat this upcoming season.

I still believe there's something wrong with Elliott. He doesn't have same snap and on this fumbles he was carrying the ball wrong and that's not his usual game. Don't know if this is a temporary thing, maybe a holdover from the summer, or a real decline but he's not the same RB.

He's overweight and doesn't look good. My theory is he parties too much and there are no repercussions. He's simply out of shape.

He is not too old to get it all back.

 

[mattjames2010]

then why haven't we before?

TonyD
Emmitt
Zeke

And a bunch of wanna be RB's in between.

It's 2020. And we had an RB shortly before Zeke that had more rushing yards in a single season than Zeke did.