Ezekiel Elliott was, at times, the face of the Cowboys in his seven seasons in Dallas, rushing for 8,262 yards and 68 touchdowns (along with 2,336 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns) as their lead back.
That tenure has now come to an end, as Elliott has become a cap casualty in Dallas, with the Cowboys releasing him this week (with a post-June 1 designation for financial reasons) to allow him to become a free agent.
End of an era: The #Cowboys have informed former NFL rushing champ Ezekiel Elliott that they are releasing him, per me and @TomPelissero. He’ll be designated as a post-June 1 release to create cap space. pic.twitter.com/QKZhkny76i
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2023
Elliott is certainly not the same back he was when he burst onto the scene as a rookie with over 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2016, as he is now almost exclusively a bruising power back, and it’ll be interesting to see where he lands next. As for his time in Dallas, there were some incredible moments, but the way his Cowboys career ended will always be one of the strangest the league has ever had. Elliott didn’t end his career with one final carry as a Cowboy, but instead his final touch came as the center, snapping the ball to Dak Prescott on a disastrous desperation play against the 49ers in the playoffs.
The final play that sends the @49ers to the NFC Championship! #NFLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/Du5KruFQ3q
— NFL (@NFL) January 23, 2023
Of all the ways for a key player’s time with a franchise to end, this has to be one of the worst (and from the outside, funniest). Hopefully Elliott will find a new team that won’t ask him to ever play center, no matter the situation.
