Ezekiel Elliott Interested in Eagles
The Eagles are on the radar of two-time All-Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
It's not known if the interest is mutual between the two parties but the Eagles did lose their 2022-23 lead back, Miles Sanders, in free agency to Carolina.
Elliott is also interested in two AFC teams: the New York Jets, who are expected to trade for star quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the upcoming days or weeks, and Cincinnati, a significant Super Bowl contender moving forward with Joe Burrow at QB and a destination close to Elliott's college home of Ohio State.
A four-time 1,000-yard rusher, Elliott was released by Dallas in mid-March due to salary-cap restraints.
He'd get to play against the Cowboys twice a year inside the NFC East if he signs with Philly.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Elliott is set to turn 28 in July but already has seven seasons under his belt and nearly 2,200 touches in his career. He quickly developed into one of the most dynamic backs in the league and topped out at 1,631 rushing yards in his rookie campaign.
In three of his first four pro seasons, Elliott had at least 300 rushing attempts and there was a clear decline in his production in his fifth season. He was a 1,000-yard runner in three of his first four seasons and had 983 yards in 2017 when he missed six games due to injury.
Over the last three seasons, however, Elliott has topped 1K just once (1,002 in 2021) and is coming off a career-low 3.8 yards per rush last season.
While part of that downtick in production could be attributed to the Cowboys finding another good RB in Tony Pollard, most can be traced to the wear and tear of Elliott's immense traffic early in his career.
The Eagles signed the oft-injured Rashaad Penny to a one-year cost-effective deal to join a backfield that also includes Kenny Gainwell, Boston Scott, who re-signed a one-year deal to return, Trey Sermon, and Kennedy Brooks.
Philadelphia only guaranteed Penny $600,000 so that deal does not prohibit moving in a different direction, be it with a veteran like Elliott or a draft pick in April.
READ MORE: A Path To Eagles Potentially Drafting Bijan Robinson
While Elliott is unlikely to regain the juice he once had earlier in his career he could have a resurgence behind the Eagles' offensive line, which is regarded as one of the best in the NFL. The veteran is also a solid pass protector and good outlet receiver, areas where the Philadelphia backs have struggled in recent seasons.
Comparisons will be made to 2015 when the Eagles signed DeMarcus Murray off a season in which Dallas essentially ran him into the ground.
Murray led the league in rushing with the Cowboys in 2014 with a mind-numbing 392 carries for 1,845 yards and then managed just 702 yards in 193 carries for the Eagles the next season. Two years later Murray was out of the NFL.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
