Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott remains a free agent after being released by the franchise in March, but a former player says the team needs to bring him back for a key reason.
The Cowboys released Elliott after seven seasons as he was set to count for $16.7 million against the 2023 salary cap with a $10.9 million non-guaranteed base salary.
During the draft, the Cowboys selected Deuce Vaughn out of Kansas State in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.
Emmitt Smith is now saying why the team needs to bring him back.
“Dallas needs to bring Zeke back if they can,” said Hall of Famer and all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith. Smith said that Tony Pollard’s leg injury calls into question if he’ll be able to be the same player fans are used to seeing.
Smith further added that the team would be in serious trouble without Pollard, because then they would have to rely on Malik Davis and Deuce Vaughn because both are unproven and one is a rookie.
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“Deuce Vaughn and Malik Davis and no Tony Pollard presents a major problem for the Dallas Cowboys,” Smith said.
It should be noted that owner Jerry Jones has already gone on record to state that bringing Zeke back to the team is not entirely out of the question.
“Ship has not sailed,” Jones said on the possibility of a reunion with Elliott after the draft. “We haven’t made a decision. For us, as far as our interest in Zeke, nothing we did today changes that.”
The 2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year was designated as a post-June 1 release, which saves Dallas $10.9 million in 2023.
Dallas selected Elliott fourth overall in the 2016 draft out of Ohio State and he put together arguably his best season as a rookie in 2016, rushing for 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns in 15 games.
Elliott rushed for 8,262 yards and 68 touchdowns in 103 games across seven seasons. However, his performance has dipped since a 2019 campaign that saw him rush for 1,357 yards and 12 scores.
No teams offering him anything speaks volumes about where his career is today.
