The market for running back Ezekiel Elliott has been slow to develop. He was designated as a post-June 1st cut by the Dallas Cowboys earlier this offseason, but like his peers at the position, he hasn’t received the kind of attention he was hoping to.
The running back market in the NFL is currently a tough one for players to navigate. Teams don’t want to commit big dollars or long-term contracts to a position that they believe to be easily replaceable. It led to stars such as Tony Pollard, Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs all receiving the franchise tag this offseason.
As training camp moves along, there has been a little more movement in the market for Ezekiel Elliott. His market is essentially tied to the one of Dalvin Cook, who is also seeking a new deal after being released by the Minnesota Vikings.
Despite that, there are reportedly three teams in on Ezekiel Elliott. According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, the New York Jets, New England Patriots and Cowboys remain the front-runners to landing the Ohio State product.
Two of those teams, the Patriots and the Jets, were also connected to Cook. Alas, New England has pulled out of the Cook race, putting their attention toward Ezekiel Elliott instead.
“The Patriots have remained highly interested in Ezekiel Elliott, and the Cowboys are also in the mix to re-sign the 28-year-old, according to league sources. The New York Jets have also been in on Elliott.
The Jets have shown heavy interest in Dalvin Cook, but there haven’t been any recent developments on that, according to a league source. The Patriots, who had some peripheral interest in Cook, are now almost certainly not going in that direction, according to a league source.”
Ezekiel Elliott, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, was once among the most feared running backs in the NFL. He led the league in rushing yards per game each of his first three seasons in the NFL, also pacing the league in rushing attempts and yardage in two of them.
That workload has seemingly caught up to him, as Ezekiel Elliott is a shell of the player he once was. His explosiveness is all but gone as his yards per game average has dropped every season of his career. Last season he averaged a career-low 3.8 yards per carry as well.
The power portion of his game remains, as Ezekiel Elliott still has something to offer as a short-yardage back, evident by the 22 rushing touchdowns he has the last two seasons. But, his days of being a featured lead back are likely behind him despite turning only 28 years old in July.
