The market for running back Ezekiel Elliott has been ice-cold to this point. The Dallas Cowboys designated him as a post-June 1st cut candidate, so teams have been allowed to negotiate with him for a while now, but nothing has come to fruition.
It isn’t necessarily an indictment on Ezekiel Elliott, as the running back market has been compressed. The position is devalued around the league, evident by the negotiations for Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard. All three had the franchise tag placed on them and have gotten nowhere in long-term contract talks with their respective teams.
The largest deal for a free agent running back that was signed this offseason paid only $6 million annually as teams just aren’t willing to pay a premium price anymore. For Ezekiel Elliott to find a new home, some other dominoes have to first fall.
Dalvin Cook finding a new home would move Ezekiel Elliott to the forefront for a few different franchises; he would be arguably the best running back available on the open market. One team to keep an eye on according to Liam Henley of ClutchPoints is the Cincinnati Bengals.
Henley predicted that is where the Ohio State product will eventually end up. The Bengals lost backup Samaje Perine to the Denver Broncos in free agency and didn’t do much to replace him. Fifth-round pick Chase Brown joins Chris Evans and Trayveon Williams on the depth chart behind Joe Mixon.
That isn’t much experience behind Mixon, who could find himself on the open market with Ezekiel Elliott before it’s all said and done. The Bengals would save a lot of money moving on from him and could use that to shore up the roster elsewhere while bringing in a less expensive piece, such as the former Cowboy.
While Ezekiel Elliott has lost a step and doesn’t have the same burst that he used to possess, he still got the job done in short-yardage situations for the Cowboys last season. He would be serviceable in that regard and should be able to replicate the same kind of role and production that Mixon has provided.
