Ezekiel Elliott was once viewed as an expensive running back whose services were no longer needed in Dallas with the Cowboys. Now, a current New England Patriot, with a change of scenery and a new opportunity, he looks to be garnering much more attention this season than some would have thought.
With the NFL trade deadline just mere hours away, teams are frantically working the phones, trying to either buy or sell with the idea of either putting themselves over the top for a championship run this season or setting themselves up for the future. Many names are being thrown around, and Elliott’s name happens to be one of them.
Let’s take a closer look at the trade rumors involving the productive running back and see if he may get moved at the deadline.
Could Ezekiel Elliott Be on the Move Again?
Elliott’s first seven seasons in the NFL came as the workhorse back in the Cowboys’ backfield. In his eighth season, Dallas decided to go in a different direction, which meant for the first time in his NFL career, Zeke was going to be wearing a different jersey on Sundays.
That led him to New England with the Patriots for 2023, but could this stay be a short one?
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Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report is reporting that RB-needy teams are reaching out to the Patriots to gauge the availability of the running back ahead of today’s deadline. Zeke is a free agent at the end of the season and may be the perfect rental for a playoff team that is looking for more juice from their RB room heading into the home stretch.
This season, Zeke has 260 carries and two touchdowns on 67 carries, good for 3.9 yards per touch. It’s certainly not the workload he was accustomed to having in Dallas. And while there may be doubts about what Elliott has left in the tank long term, there’s no doubt that he’s the freshest he’s ever been at this point of the season in his career.
Potential Landing Spots for Elliott
With teams around the league seemingly asking about Elliott and his availability, let’s take a closer look at some teams that would make sense as possible landing spots for the veteran RB.
Dallas Cowboys
While this would be highly unlikely and, quite frankly, a pretty wild turn of events, the Cowboys haven’t received great production out of their running back room this season.
Tony Pollard is the main guy now, and while that would remain true, his production has decreased this season as the RB1, and the team has yet to truly see any real impact from anyone behind, either.
MORE: Where Is Jerry Jones’ Mindset Ahead of Tuesday’s Trade Deadline?
The reason Elliott isn’t in Dallas anymore had to do with money, simply put. He was getting paid too much money for where they viewed him.
On a team-friendly, one-year deal, if he was brought back to be the RB2 in Dallas, it would be welcomed with open arms by the team and surely Zeke himself.
Cincinnati Bengals
The RB1 in Cincy is Joe Mixon, but behind him, there’s not much to write home about. Right now, they have Trayveon Williams and Chris Evans spelling Mixon. Between the two of them, they only have nine carries on the season.
Bringing Zeke in would bring production and respect to the room, and someone who is able to play tough-winning football as the Bengals look to win the AFC crown.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens look to be one of the best teams in the AFC, and with a team so focused on physicality and toughness, adding another bruising running back like Zeke to the mix may be the right move.
Currently, Gus Edwards is leading the backfield with J.K. Dobbins on injured reserve, and while Justice Hill has been productive in his chances, adding a player like Elliott, especially with his expiring affordable contract, may just be the move Baltimore hopes to make to put them over the top in 2023.
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