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Cowboys Ex RB Ezekiel Elliott Signing Wait: Brutal Game, Brutal Business

Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is finding out that despite his storied career thus far, the contract offers during free agency have not been forthcoming.

Ezekiel Elliott has seen his seven-year stint as a Dallas Cowboys come to an end. With his big contract still causing issues for the Dallas front office and with the emergence of Tony Pollard, Zeke finds himself on the outside looking in.

Of The Star.

And for the moment, of the NFL.

Zeke scored 12 TDs and was effective in some ways but hit career-lows in rushing yards, rushing attempts, yards per game, and yards per attempt last season. Thus, the Cowboys decided to cut the two-time rushing champion rather than offer him a contract that would have seen him earn significantly less.

Designated to be a June 1 cut, Elliott is on the lookout for a new team, and this is where the harsh reality of free agency and the NFL is becoming evident.

Elliott is a two-time NFL rushing champion, has 8,262 rushing yards,68 touchdowns, and averaged 4.4 yards per carry in seven seasons. Yet over three weeks after it became known of his release, a team has yet to be forthcoming with an offer.

Could Zeke find himself out in the cold next season? Unlikely, and while the Cowboys have yet to completely close the door on a return for the All-Pro running back, it doesn't seem like a return is the best idea for both parties.

Three teams were "mentioned" as potential landing spots for Elliott, with the New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, and the Philadelphia Eagles all touted as possible routes.

But the Eagles and Bengals said no thanks, and Jets running back duo Breece Hall and Michael Carter made it abundantly clear what they thought of the rumors. 

No team seems to want a two-time rushing champion on their roster; how can that be? Once a star in the league with the world at his feet, to now being a player without a team and no signs of an impending contract, Elliott is in no-man's land, maybe having to wait until after the NFL Draft to see if there is an opening, or more damning, maybe having to wait until a training camp injury somewhere takes another man down ... all of it reminding us that football is a brutal game - and a brutal business.


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