Cowboys Ezekiel Elliott Cut: Coach Mike McCarthy Explains 'Business & Capanomics'
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The Dallas Cowboys running back room has a new leader in Tony Pollard. After Ezekiel Elliott was cut, the Cowboys now have a different "No. 1'' running back unit heading into next season.
With Elliott's salary for the 2023 season set to be $10.4 million and having a cap hit of $16.4 million, coupled with his declining production that saw him hit career lows in several categories, we understand why Dallas moved on.
But for head coach Mike McCarthy, the decision on Zeke came down to money, and nothing else.
"Business [and] capanomics, that's real," McCarthy said. "You have to make decisions and sometimes those decisions factor into the next decision or two that's coming down the road."
The suggestion here is that McCarthy still views Elliott as a guy who can be a productive NFL player ... though at this moment, with Zeke still unsigned, the marketplace has yet to agree.
With Elliott no longer on the roster, the Cowboys don't have that hammer for short-yardage situations that Zeke was so good at. Instead, in addition to Pollard, Ronald Jones, Malik Davis, Rico Dowdle and rookie Deuce Vaughn (and maybe UDFA rookie Hunter Luepke?) could be tasked with picking up the slack.
Aside from the rookies, all have shown glimpses of their talent at the NFL level (Jones is a two-time Super Bowl champion). Nevertheless, something else is missing at The Star, as McCarthy did concede that the locker room feels different without No. 21.
"It's really about opportunities for our young guys," said McCarthy. "It's Tony's opportunity to be the lead back, so we're just getting all of those guys ready. Deuce is the new guy and it's been cool to see him implemented in the things that we've been doing here the last week. The group will look different because [Zeke's] presence is not there."
With Dallas's cap situation and the impending extensions of CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs, and Micah Parsons hanging over their heads, Dallas felt it wasn't feasible to have Elliott as a $10 million running back with Pollard tagged for around the same number.
The NFL is a business, and for Elliott, despite all the great things he has done for the organization, he was, to McCarthy, a simple cap casualty, which once again, reminds us of the harsh reality of NFL football.
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