Ezekiel Elliott has narrowed list of teams to 3 Super Bowl contenders
The Dallas Cowboys made the extremely tough decision to move on from Ezekiel Elliott in the 2023 offseason, designating the former first-round pick and one of the franchise’s best running backs in team history a post-June 1 salary cap cut. Elliott finished his Cowboys career with over 8,200 yards rushing, good for third in Cowboys history. His 68 career rushing touchdowns are also good for third-best in Cowboys history.
Where will one of the most prolific runners in Dallas Cowboys history find himself playing in 2023? Although Elliott is no longer the same runner he was in 2016 or 2017, he’s still capable of being a very effective back in tandem with someone else, and there are contending teams around the league interested in acquiring his services.
Where will Ezekiel Elliott play in 2023?
Cowboys’ RB Ezekiel Elliott has narrowed down his options about where to play to the Eagles, Jets and Bengals, and he would like to make his decision about where to sign by the end of next week, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 23, 2023
Within the next week, it looks like Ezekiel Elliott will be leaving “America’s Team” and going to play for another franchise, including the possibility of playing against the Cowboys two (or maybe three) times per year as a member of the Eagles. Let’s take a look at some of these potential team fits and why Elliott could make some sense for them.
New York Jets as a fit for Ezekiel Elliott
This one I want to talk about first, because I really don’t like this fit for Ezekiel Elliott at all for more than just one or maybe even half of a season. Unless the New York Jets are really convinced that Breece Hall is going to miss a good portion of the 2023 season, having Ezekiel Elliott around really messes with their running back rotation and they’d be better off getting fresh legs in the NFL Draft.
As cool as it would be to see the Jets form a super-team with Aaron Rodgers and Ezekiel Elliott, this team’s duo of Breece Hall and Michael Carter should be getting the primary attention and carries.
Cincinnati Bengals as a fit for Ezekiel Elliott
I actually like this fit quite a bit. The Bengals lost Samaje Perine in 2023 NFL Free Agency to the Denver Broncos and could definitely replace him with Elliott. Elliott is obviously capable of playing all three downs effectively, and he and Joe Burrow have some history, believe it or not, dating back to the 2015 season at Ohio State.
They could reunite in the state of Ohio once again with Elliott pairing up with Joe Mixon, or perhaps even taking over RB1 duties depending on what ends up transpiring with Mixon off the field.
Philadelphia Eagles as a fit for Ezekiel Elliott
This would be extremely weird to see because Elliott has spent his entire career as a rival of the Philadelphia Eagles, but on paper, it could make some sense. The Eagles are going to run the ball heavily once again in 2023 but they said goodbye to Miles Sanders (Panthers) in free agency.
With Rashaad Penny coming in from the Seattle Seahawks, perhaps Elliott could pair with him, Kenneth Gainwell, and Boston Scott to give the Eagles a dynamic group in 2023.
Ultimately, the best fit out of these three teams for Elliott is the Cincinnati Bengals. They have the clearest path to playing time and a heavier workload, and they also keep Elliott away from Cowboys rivals.