NFL Rumors: Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys Have ‘Mutual Interest’ in Free-Agent Contract – Mike Chiari, Bleacher Report
Having a hole at running back, the Cowboys have interest in turning to a familiar face.
The Dallas Cowboys and free-agent running back Ezekiel Elliott are reportedly considering a reunion this offseason. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Elliott and the Cowboys have “mutual interest” in each other, although a deal hasn’t yet been reached.Elliott, 28, spent his first seven NFL seasons in Dallas before signing a one-year deal and playing for the New England Patriots last season.
Initially selected by Dallas with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft out of Ohio State, Elliott established himself as one of the best running backs in franchise history. Zeke was a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro during his time with the Cowboys, and in 103 regular-season games with the team, he racked up 8,262 rushing yards and 68 rushing touchdowns, which both rank third on the all-time franchise list.
Over his first six seasons, Elliott never finished with fewer than 979 rushing yards, but in 2022, he struggled to the tune of 876 yards and a 3.8 yards-per-carry average, both of which were career lows, although he did rush for 12 touchdowns. Elliott was essentially supplanted by Tony Pollard, who rushed for 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns, while averaging 5.2 yards per tote. Dallas released Elliott after the 2022 season, and he signed a one-year deal with the Pats to form a one-two punch with Rhamondre Stevenson.
Stevenson missed five games due to injury, which contributed to Elliott leading the Patriots in rushing yards with 642. Still, that was a career low for Elliott, as were his three rushing touchdowns and 3.5 yards per carry. Elliott was highly effective in the passing game, though, leading New England with 51 receptions and finishing with 313 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. Pollard was somewhat disappointing in 2023, which was his first season as the unquestioned No. 1 running back for Dallas.
4 teams Dak Prescott could leave the Cowboys for next offseason – Jerry Trotta, The Landry Hat
Predicting landing spots for Dak Prescott should he leave the Cowboys following this season.
The Seahawks confused just about everyone when they traded for Commanders quarterback Sam Howell after they shipped Drew Lock to the Giants. Granted, every team needs a backup, but that wasn’t exactly a vote of confidence in starter Geno Smith. Smith has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons, throwing for 50 touchdowns to just 19 interceptions while completing over 67% of his passes. Smith also finished ninth in MVP voting in 2022.
Those are nice stats, but Seattle is just 18-16 over that span with zero playoff wins. They missed the playoffs entirely in 2023. The Seahawks don’t have much cap space in 2025, but cutting or trading Smith would save $25 million and they have decisions to make on Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf and Leonard Williams, each of whom have cap hits north of $29 million.
By the time Seattle performs some housekeeping, they’ll have more than enough cap room to sign Prescott. They’re defense is in good hands with head coach Mike Macdonald and they have plenty of firepower on offense in Metcalf, Lockett and running backs Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. A move to the Pacific Northwest could entice Prescott.
Prescott ending up in East Rutherford would be a nightmare for the Cowboys and their fans, but it’s certainly a possibility. General manager Joe Schoen has all but confirmed this is Daniel Jones’ last season with the team. Jones has no guaranteed money left on his four-year contract after 2024, so the expectation is the Giants will cut him loose next offseason.
The pre-draft buzz seems to hint at the Giants selecting a quarterback in the first round, but the sixth overall pick leaves them in a precarious position.Does UNC’s Drake Maye potentially fall that far? Will they reach on Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy or potentially take Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. in round two? If New York doesn’t come away with a QB in round one, that swings the door wide open for them to pursue Prescott in free agency.
They only have $34 million in cap space in 2025, but moving on from Jones would free up $30 million and they’d net additional funds if tight end Darren Waller retires. Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are under immense pressure after the Giants won six games last season after their playoff appearance in 2022. Signing Prescott would answer all of their questions at quarterback.
3 positions the Cowboys must address early in the draft – Mario Herrera Jr., Inside the Star
Limited by only seven draft picks, here are the top concerns the Cowboys need pick with their premium draft picks.
Center
The Cowboys’ offensive line as a whole needs to improve after the losses of Tyron Smith and Tyler Biadasz to free agency. However, I do believe center is a bigger need than left tackle because of the offensive line shuffling that can be done. Tyler Smith was drafted to be the left tackle of the future and his All-Pro talent at guard has been a bonus. You might think this would leave a hole at left guard but T.J. Bass has played well when given the opportunity.
I believe he can step in and be a viable option at left guard now and in the future. Drafting with the 24th pick of the first round, it’s difficult to expect one of the premier left tackles to fall but it’s the perfect range for the top centers of the draft. Brock Hoffman has been a nice story, from practice squad player to surprise late-season starter, but Dallas needs an influx of talent at the position. Graham Barton and Jackson Powers-Johnson are options in the first round or possibly Sedrick Van Pran or Zach Frazier in the second and third rounds.
Cornerback
I don’t buy into the “we have two All-Pro corners” narrative as an excuse not to address the position in the draft. Personally, I believe that drafting the money positions in every draft should be every team’s strategy. Yes, we have two All-Pro cornerbacks in Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland but you can never have enough cornerbacks.
We are fortunate that Bland turned out to be a superstar on the boundary after Diggs went down with a torn ACL in practice early in the season. After seeing Michael Gallup and Terence Steele struggle to return to form after their injuries, can we expect Diggs to be in All-Pro form right away? Stephon Gilmore is no longer on the roster, and behind Jourdan Lewis, where is the talent?
Nahshon Wright hasn’t shown much and Eric Scott Jr. is a sixth-round pick who never saw the field in 2023, even when the defense was struggling with injury. The position must be addressed, and it must be addressed early in the draft.
Here are some options in the top three rounds that the Cowboys can target:
· Kool-Aid McKinstry
· TJ Tampa
· Kamari Lassiter
· Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
· Jarrian Jones
Cowboys trying to leverage Tyler Smith’s flexibility – Tom Ryle, Blogging the Boys
Could premier left guard Tyler Smith be on the move?
Will Tyler Smith start at left tackle or left guard for the Dallas Cowboys in September? That is one of the burning questions of the offseason. With the departure of Tyron Smith to the New York Jets, it is a decision that has been forced on the team. Most see it as a big one.
It may not matter as much as you think.
Let’s start with the fact that Tyler is a superb offensive lineman. He demonstrated his prowess at guard this past season with the team, earning his first Pro Bowl nod. But it has always been believed that there was a long-term plan when Dallas drafted him to eventually replace Tyron when the inevitable happened. That happened this year as Tyron got more money than Dallas was willing to give to go to the Jets. The wisdom of this move is still up for debate, but Tyler really enabled the team to let Tyron walk because they had a built-in option to fill the resultant hole.
Of course, that creates another hole at left guard. The best remaining option currently on the roster is T.J. Bass, and there are indications they might roll with him if they have to. However, the real plan might be to fortify the offensive line in the draft. If it isn’t, the questions about just what the heck they are doing multiply. This looks to be a draft with plentiful offensive line talent at both tackle and in the interior. With limited draft capital we have to expect them to address the line in the first three rounds. (Unfortunately, we are fairly certain a lot of help is not going to come via free agency, which now looks to be mostly about finding hole pluggers if the draft leaves some real shortfalls.)
That is how Tyler’s flexibility really helps them. They can take either a plug-and-play tackle and keep Tyler at guard, or go with an interior player while he moves outside. This adds a real element of best player available in the draft, always a good thing.
The decision to allow Tyler Biadasz to leave in free agency as well is also a big part of the calculations here. The left side of the line has to be rebuilt in any case. Currently, Brock Hoffman is projected to start at center. But he, too, can play either center or guard. That allows them to project a rookie at center, guard, or tackle. If they don’t take a tackle in the draft, they will move Smith out and pair the rookie with Hoffman or Bass, depending on who they have the most faith in. Or they can get their tackle and rely on Smith to help provide some stability for the players on either side of him.
There could be even more options with draft prospects who might have similar position flexibility to Smith. That would allow them to experiment in camp with the best combination to get the most out of their draft pick. It is possible they will not make the final call on how the players line up in the regular season until fairly late in training camp, although it could be determined much earlier. This makes the upcoming OTAs and minicamps even more interesting. Even with the limitations of those practices, they might gain enough data to know what the plan is going to be this fall.
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