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4 reasons Ezekiel Elliott will not be on the Dallas Cowboys in 2023

By Brendan Danaher

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 16: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys looks on during pregame warm-ups prior to a game against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at AT&T Stadium on January 16, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 16: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys looks on during pregame warm-ups prior to a game against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at AT&T Stadium on January 16, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) /
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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 19: Running back Tony Pollard (20) of the Dallas Cowboys during pregame warm-ups before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on September 19, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 19: Running back Tony Pollard (20) of the Dallas Cowboys during pregame warm-ups before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on September 19, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

Reason no. 2: Ezekiel Elliott’s replacement on the roster

If you have been following hot topics surrounding the Cowboys you have heard of running back Tony Pollard.

Pollard is the second back on the depth chart but has been a member of the Cowboys roster since 2019, the same year Elliott signed his extension. Pollard showed exponential growth in 2021 and finished the year with 719 rushing yards on 130 carries with a 5.5-yard average per rush. 

Pollard’s rushing average ranked him 5th overall for all running backs in the league while Elliott sat at 28th with his average of 4.2 yards.

Pollard logged only three hundred fewer rushing yards than Elliott with 100 fewer carries. Not only does Pollard step over Elliott with his average rushing yards he is a more versatile threat than Elliott due to his effectiveness as a receiving back.

Pollard had 337 receiving yards on 39 receptions (46 targets) while Elliott had 287 yards on 47 receptions (65 targets) with the same amount of touchdowns as Pollard; two.

Elliott was given more opportunities on both fronts than Pollard yet Pollard did more with less.

While Pollard finished the year with only two rushing and two receiving touchdowns the reason why is clear.

The Dallas Cowboys made the financial investment in Elliott and to bench him for Pollard to obtain more snaps would be essentially admitting that they made a mistake. Additionally, they have already paid Elliott more than 50% of the money that his contract offers and they plan to run Elliott as hard as possible to get a return on their investment.

Speaking of investment if you’re curious how much the Cowboys are paying Pollard for his current level of production (which is more productive than Elliott by far) his contract guarantees him approximately $667,000 as opposed to Elliott’s $50 million and Pollard’s four-year contract tops out at $3.1 million with Elliott’s around $90 million.

No. Brainer.

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