Few Dallas Cowboys players have a more uncertain future than Running Back Ezekiel Elliott. His contract is a legitimate problem and is reasonably sheddable after this season.
One has to wonder just what Zeke can do in 2022, if anything, to avoid becoming a salary cap casualty next year.
Elliott’s production hit new lows last season.
His 58.9 yards-per-game was a career-low and 4.2 yards-per-carry was far from stellar.
About the only bright spot in the stat sheet was 10 rushing touchdowns, the third-highest total in Zeke’s six seasons.
The outcry about Elliott’s usefulness was somewhat mollified when it was revealed earlier this offseason that he played through a PCL injury for most of the 2021 season.
This was Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott last season before a partial PCL tear to right knee. Who he was before and after injury should not be conflated. Elliott to take field this morning at OTAs. After season, Cowboys are expected to revisit his contract. https://t.co/aVxzjYHhMo pic.twitter.com/cRb89n7ARB
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) May 25, 2022
Even if Elliott were still the most productive running back in football, there would still be detractors.
His $18 million salary cap hit in 2022 is the highest of any back by about $6.5 million. While it drops to $16 million next year, that still makes him the third-highest-paid player among his peers.
That’s why the future is so dicey for Ezekiel Elliott.
Short of an MVP-worthy or record-breaking season in 2022, is there really anything he can do to justify such a huge burden to the Cowboys’ cap going forward?
And even if he is amazing this season, will having that much tied up in a guy who turns 28 next July really be wise?
One interesting factor in all of this is the modest increase in per-game production that would vault Elliott back to the top of the NFL rushing leaderboard.
Last year, despite the lows, he was still seventh overall in rushing yards. With just another 16 yards per game, Zeke would’ve been ranked second overall in the NFL.
This is where the balancing act in touches between Elliott and Tony Pollard becomes so fascinating.
Every time Pollard gets the ball, in a way you’re sabotaging Elliott’s chances to justify his contract. But if Pollard keeps being more effective with his touches (5.5 YPC), you can’t sabotage your offense by “feeding Zeke” like in the good ol’ days.
This is why it’s hard to see Elliott surviving the cap conundrum next year. Even if Zeke is back to prime form in 2022, Pollard’s presence makes it unlikely that he can put up Jonathan Taylor numbers.
Unless he’s willing to take a massive pay cut next offseason, assuming Dallas would even offer one, that seems like Elliott’s only real shot of sticking around.
The only thing Elliott can do about it now is to play like his life depends on it.
He can’t control how many times he gets pulled for Tony Pollard, but hopefully, good health and some added motivation give Zeke extra potency whenever he does touch the ball.
Again, it won’t take a massive improvement from last year’s numbers to put Ezekiel Elliott’s name back in lights again.
But with age, mileage, and finances all working against him, can anything really keep him on the Cowboys roster beyond this season?
