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NGT: Cowboys to cut RB Ezekiel Elliott.

Vin_Cuccs : 3/15/2023 9:59 am
Via Cowboys writer Clarence Hill of the Forth Worth Star Telegram on Twitter.
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I bet he ends up in Washington  
BigBlue7 : 3/15/2023 10:00 am : link
.
No brainer.  
Kmed6000 : 3/15/2023 10:02 am : link
He's done.
They're gonna trade up in draft to get  
barens : 3/15/2023 10:07 am : link
Robinson.
RE: I bet he ends up in Washington  
Big Blue Blogger : 3/15/2023 10:09 am : link
BigBlue7 said:
Quote:
.
Robinson looked pretty good last year, and should be better a year removed from the shooting. Elliott offers more as a receiver, but the Commanders have that aspect covered with Antonio Gibson.

Zeke had a nice run, and made $71MM. If he wants to keep playing, he can be late-stage Emmitt Smith, or maybe Frank Gore. The man still finishes runs. His $10MM/year days are behind him though.
Zeke's contract was a problem....  
Dnew15 : 3/15/2023 10:09 am : link
and I'm not exactly sure how this works...but is it kinda a dick move to release him at this point?

Being that the Giants let it be known that Kenny G was getting cut, does it enable him to go out and start talking to other teams even though it's not official until today?

Is it possible the Cowboys were trying to renegotiate his deal and just couldn't so that's why he's being cut now?

Ultimately I don't care b/c it's the Cowboys - but how this move is perceived amongst the players across the NFL does matter. The Giants and Cowboys handled their business very differently here.
No surprise at all.. they need the cap space  
Rick in Dallas : 3/15/2023 10:09 am : link
I have this odd feeling that Jerrah wants OBJ on his team
Brian Robinson, that is.  
Big Blue Blogger : 3/15/2023 10:10 am : link
Barens is referring to Bijan, obviously.
As Mando likes to say  
Spider43 : 3/15/2023 10:10 am : link
This is the way.

Please take note, Joe.
Hoping the cowboys get fucked in the run game  
UConn4523 : 3/15/2023 10:11 am : link
Pollard now has potential long term injury issues and he can’t carry the load to begin with. Would be really nice for the run game to take a hit this year.
I love Saquon  
Drewcon40 : 3/15/2023 10:12 am : link
But this should be a free lesson to Schoen (which I think he is more than capable) not to invest too much into the RB position.
A few years too late...  
bw in dc : 3/15/2023 10:13 am : link
because they should have traded him already, but this is the right move.

Will McClay has proven to be one of the top three talent evaluators in the NFL. He will find a RB to compliment Pollard and keep their backfield formidable.
Can see him  
GoDeep13 : 3/15/2023 10:13 am : link
Going too Buffalo or Denver
RE: I love Saquon  
UConn4523 : 3/15/2023 10:17 am : link
In comment 16064738 Drewcon40 said:
Quote:
But this should be a free lesson to Schoen (which I think he is more than capable) not to invest too much into the RB position.


I think Schoen knows. Elliott was the last RB to be paid at those kind of rates - the risk is much smaller now. I don’t think we extend Barkley unless it means we have to move money to keep or get another player we really want.
Cowboys now need to restructure Lawrence  
Rick in Dallas : 3/15/2023 10:17 am : link
To get even more cap space
Possible they restructure Tyron Smith for the hundredth time
Keep kicking that can down the road
I  
AcidTest : 3/15/2023 10:21 am : link
think if we had decent WRs and more offensive weapons generally, Schoen would be more open to trading Barkley. I still think he should, but am fine keeping him one more year on the FT.
.....  
CoughlinHandsonHips : 3/15/2023 10:21 am : link
Cautionary tale for sure in regards to second RB contracts.

And Zeke was one of the more productive ones - go back a little farther for some true disasters (Todd Gurley)
Center  
Longtimelurker : 3/15/2023 10:26 am : link
He will always be remembered for his final play as a Center.
Offer Saquon 4/35 or trade him. No reason to pay him.  
jerseygiant : 3/15/2023 10:27 am : link
Sign Mattison or Foreman for $4 mil a year and draft a RB. When will teams learn?

"Le'Veon is different"
"Gurley is different"
"Chubb is different"
"Henry is different"
"Saquon is different"
Yet another success story  
.McL. : 3/15/2023 10:32 am : link
for a big 2nd contract for a RB

sarcasm off
Of course  
mittenedman : 3/15/2023 10:33 am : link
the Giants still couldn't stop him last year.

Looking forward to the day we can physically stand up to the Eagles and Cowboys.
Zeke was fine in 2021  
djm : 3/15/2023 10:34 am : link
he was not fine in 2022 but wasn't exactly terrible.

Zeke was sitting on 1600+ Rushes heading into the start of the 22 season. He's now at 1800+.

Barkley is at 954 rushes.

Not quite the same place.
FWIW  
djm : 3/15/2023 10:39 am : link
if I had to bet, Zeke is probably relatively cuttable right now, assuming Dallas was smart with this deal that was singed in 2019. Zeke was not cooked when he signed that deal and scored 46 TDs over the 4 years.

Would Dallas have been better off spending that same money on some imaginary player that may have been available in FA? Perhaps. But it aint that simple.

As usual, Dallas will survive cutting a contract they probably expected would be cut right about now.
RE: Zeke was fine in 2021  
Kmed6000 : 3/15/2023 10:39 am : link
In comment 16064816 djm said:
Quote:
he was not fine in 2022 but wasn't exactly terrible.

Zeke was sitting on 1600+ Rushes heading into the start of the 22 season. He's now at 1800+.

Barkley is at 954 rushes.

Not quite the same place.


I disagree. He's been toast for years and he's making high end money. He's averaged like 4 ypc for 3 years, that's not good.
He's been toast for a while  
Matt in SGS : 3/15/2023 10:41 am : link
it's just that of course he showed up vs the Giants and their inability to stop the run against everyone.
from sportatic  
djm : 3/15/2023 10:43 am : link
Quote:
Ezekiel Elliott signed a 6 year, $90,000,000 contract with the Dallas Cowboys, including a $7,500,000 signing bonus, $50,052,137 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $15,000,000. In 2023, Elliott will earn a base salary of $10,900,000, while carrying a cap hit of $16,720,000 and a dead cap value of $11,860,000.


Seems pretty painful, lol...that's a crying shame.

Oh well, you gotta pay some of these vets..dallas paid one of their made guys and now will need to so some band aid ripping. We should hold a vigil.
.....  
CoughlinHandsonHips : 3/15/2023 10:46 am : link
Quote:
Would Dallas have been better off spending that same money on some imaginary player that may have been available in FA? Perhaps. But it aint that simple.


Not imaginary - they traded away Amari Cooper for cap savings and the offense struggled. Money better allocated there for starters.



not gonna argue over  
djm : 3/15/2023 10:48 am : link
what constitutes the description of "toast"--but Zeke's 2021 aint it, in my view.

Rodney Hampton in 1996-97? That's toast.

Dallas thought enough of the player to give him the same number of touches one year AFTER 2021. HE was fading, but he had something left. HE was still an adequate short yardage RZ back.
RE: .....  
djm : 3/15/2023 10:49 am : link
In comment 16064857 CoughlinHandsonHips said:
Quote:


Quote:


Would Dallas have been better off spending that same money on some imaginary player that may have been available in FA? Perhaps. But it aint that simple.



Not imaginary - they traded away Amari Cooper for cap savings and the offense struggled. Money better allocated there for starters.




That's fair. I didn't like the deal to move Cooper and said so at the time. Maybe they should have dumped Zeke instead...i'll give you that.
Paying running backs is fine  
UConn4523 : 3/15/2023 10:49 am : link
Gurley/Elliott deals don’t exist anymore, the market has adjusted. You don’t just hand them out for no reason but I’m Barkleys case he’s young, lower mileage and won’t be sniffing $50m guaranteed (probably not even half that). It’s fairly low risk IMO.
I honestly just hope Barkley sniffs reality, at some point  
islander1 : 3/15/2023 10:54 am : link
because the demand for him at anything more than 12/year is only going to come from terrible teams, unless it's a short term deal.
RE: Cowboys now need to restructure Lawrence  
fanatic II : 3/15/2023 10:56 am : link
In comment 16064756 Rick in Dallas said:
Quote:
To get even more cap space
Possible they restructure Tyron Smith for the hundredth time
Keep kicking that can down the road


The release of Elliott and when they release Jordan Lewis will create another 9.5 million dollars in cap space.

This will give Dallas close to 14 million in cap space. No need to restructure contracts.
Elliott  
stretch234 : 3/15/2023 11:04 am : link
Look at his number of carries his 1st 5 years vs Barkley and it is noticeable how many fewer Carrie’s he has had
Barkley is in his prime  
djm : 3/15/2023 11:05 am : link
pray the knees hold up but you always worry about any player.
If the Giants extend Barkley  
AcesUp : 3/15/2023 11:09 am : link
I can promise you that they are aware he will be cut at some point with a dead hit. It won't be a surprise to them when that day comes, it's how these deals are structured. It will probably even be accounted for in their year 2025 and/or 2026 forecasting.

He just needs to pay enough dividends in the beginning to make the dead hit on the back end worth it. Zeke did not, that was a dumpster fire of a deal from the jump.
My least favorite player  
Tim in Eternal Blue : 3/15/2023 11:12 am : link

in the NFL. Hope he goes to a team that is never on Primetime games.
RE: Yet another success story  
bw in dc : 3/15/2023 11:16 am : link
In comment 16064807 .McL. said:
Quote:
for a big 2nd contract for a RB

sarcasm off


It's a bountiful list of these situations.

Since Zeke did his extension in 2019, his YPC has decreased at least a half yard per carry every year since. This year it was almost a full yard.

It's a very taxing position to play. Unless you find a super-freak like AP - and how far did Minnesota go with him, btw? - the science of the position says it's a short shelf life of reliable, high-level production.

So, churn and burn and take advantage of the pipeline college supplies every year.
Random footnote  
mfsd : 3/15/2023 11:26 am : link
My buddy got to meet Zeke, Dak Prescott and Derrick Henry at a SB party in LA when it was there a couple years ago

He said Zeke and Dak turned out to be much friendlier than he expected.
Stopped to talk with everyone in the room, spent 20 minutes talking football with my buddy and his friends, took lot of pics with people

Conversely, he said the only thing scarier than how big Derrick Henry is is how outright mean he was to people
This cut barely clears any cap room  
cosmicj : 3/15/2023 11:32 am : link
Elliott has a dead cap hit of $12mm v $16mm if retained.

Really a year earlier than the contract indicates and hints that the Cowboys think his play had tailed off.
RE: not gonna argue over  
Kmed6000 : 3/15/2023 11:58 am : link
In comment 16064862 djm said:
Quote:
what constitutes the description of "toast"--but Zeke's 2021 aint it, in my view.

Rodney Hampton in 1996-97? That's toast.

Dallas thought enough of the player to give him the same number of touches one year AFTER 2021. HE was fading, but he had something left. HE was still an adequate short yardage RZ back.


2021:
Zeke-237 carries
Pollard-130 carries

Zeke-1000 yards
Pollard-700 yards

Zeke-4.2 ypc
pollard-5.5

The offense was built to run the ball and he was bad. They just paid him a massive amount of money and force fed him the ball because of it. He was bad, although not completely useless?
McCarthy has made it clear  
Lines of Scrimmage : 3/15/2023 12:09 pm : link
he wants to run the ball. I am sure he recognizes Dak's shortcomings and this is the only way.

I can see them going RB and OL and then heavy D. WFT is also going heavy run.

Giants need to keep adding to the front 7. It's gonna be a very physical division again.
RE: McCarthy has made it clear  
bw in dc : 3/15/2023 12:38 pm : link
In comment 16065075 Lines of Scrimmage said:
Quote:
he wants to run the ball. I am sure he recognizes Dak's shortcomings and this is the only way.

I can see them going RB and OL and then heavy D. WFT is also going heavy run.

Giants need to keep adding to the front 7. It's gonna be a very physical division again.


McCarthy is a weird cat because Dallas does run the ball. Dallas was 6th in rushing attempts last year. One carry behind the fifth spot and seven carries behind the fourth spot.

They were very close to the top ten in carries in 2021.

So, they are one of the top running teams in the NFL.

Here is a remedy they need going forward - Dak to be less of a turnover machine.
RE: RE: McCarthy has made it clear  
Mike in NY : 3/15/2023 1:01 pm : link
In comment 16065155 bw in dc said:
Quote:
In comment 16065075 Lines of Scrimmage said:


Quote:


he wants to run the ball. I am sure he recognizes Dak's shortcomings and this is the only way.

I can see them going RB and OL and then heavy D. WFT is also going heavy run.

Giants need to keep adding to the front 7. It's gonna be a very physical division again.



McCarthy is a weird cat because Dallas does run the ball. Dallas was 6th in rushing attempts last year. One carry behind the fifth spot and seven carries behind the fourth spot.

They were very close to the top ten in carries in 2021.

So, they are one of the top running teams in the NFL.

Here is a remedy they need going forward - Dak to be less of a turnover machine.


I think the first Philly game is a good microcosm of the rift between McCarthy and Kellen Moore. Philly goes on a long drive for a TD and the first play after that, with Cooper Rush as a QB, as a deep shot that gets picked off. The gassed D then allows another TD drive. After that it was a lot more passing and they ended the half down 20-3. In a game that was only 7-0, McCarthy wanted to see the O go on a methodical drive themselves to take some pressure off of the D.
Zeke runs into people all the time  
Chip : 3/15/2023 1:20 pm : link
Saquon scoots out of bounds all the time avoiding contact. That is a huge difference and will make Saquon last longer at a high level. Absolutely no comparison.
2023 and 2024  
5BowlsSoon : 3/15/2023 1:21 pm : link
2023
12 M dead money
5 M cap saved


2024
6 M Dead money
8 M cap saved
Good....I always hated his stupid feed me motioning he  
Simms11 : 3/15/2023 1:26 pm : link
does!
Devastating knee injuries:  
Big Blue Blogger : 3/15/2023 1:46 pm : link
Barkley 1
Elliott 0

Hard to compare these two. Very different players, with very different wear on their legs.
RE: RE: Yet another success story  
.McL. : 3/15/2023 1:56 pm : link
In comment 16064940 bw in dc said:
Quote:
In comment 16064807 .McL. said:


Quote:


for a big 2nd contract for a RB

sarcasm off



It's a bountiful list of these situations.

Since Zeke did his extension in 2019, his YPC has decreased at least a half yard per carry every year since. This year it was almost a full yard.

It's a very taxing position to play. Unless you find a super-freak like AP - and how far did Minnesota go with him, btw? - the science of the position says it's a short shelf life of reliable, high-level production.

So, churn and burn and take advantage of the pipeline college supplies every year.

We are on the same page here.
I see no reason to pay any RB more than about 5 or 6M per.
RE: RE: Yet another success story  
speedywheels : 3/15/2023 2:00 pm : link
In comment 16064940 bw in dc said:
Quote:



It's a bountiful list of these situations.

Since Zeke did his extension in 2019, his YPC has decreased at least a half yard per carry every year since. This year it was almost a full yard.



You mean except for 2021, when his YPC went UP(4.0 to 4.2) and he broke 1,000 yards, right?

But we know how you like to ignore stats that don't support your narrative, so carry on...
Bw  
Lines of Scrimmage : 3/15/2023 2:07 pm : link
Running in the regular season versus playoffs often is different for teams. Against SF they ran 22 times for 77 yards. Pollard go hurt and Dak was 10 for 26 yards. That is about 50 yards and 9 carries off in season average.

Same thing happened to Buffalo against Cincy. Dallas two years ago. Happens often.

It changes everything for the offense and particularly the QB.

Without a upper tier QB, functional PB and a upper tier WR group it is really tough to overcome imv.

Playoff football reveals deficiencies.
Things that don't last very long in this world  
chick310 : 3/15/2023 2:47 pm : link
Dogs chasing cars
Pros putting for pars
And NFL RBs on big 2nd contracts
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