Following the norm of the last three years, the Dallas Cowboys have released their No.3 all-time rushing leader, Ezekiel Elliott. Justifying their call, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has expressed that the decision was taken to render Zeke with an opportunity to play the playoffs as they are already out of the race this year. Consequently, the Cowboys will now play their last game of the season against the Commanders on January 4 without the star RB’s presence.
Skip Bayless On Ezekiel Elliott
However, with Zeke underperforming this year, longtime Cowboys fan and analyst Skip Bayless explained why the #15 star moving from the team makes sense, in his reaction video.
Ezekiel Elliott is gone now. He is gone for good from our Dallas Cowboys. No more of this, not ever. No more jumping into the Salvation Army kettle sometime before Christmas, because the truth is, once Jerry Jones paid Ezekiel Elliott after his third year with the Dallas Cowboys, Zeke jumped off the cliff for good. Never the same. He started to look washed then, and this year, he looked all-time washed to the point where I cringed every time he carried the ball, even in short-yardage goal-line situations.
Skip's criticism gets the support from the statistics. In the 2024 season, Zeke finished with 74 carries, 226 yards, and 3 touchdowns, with a dismal average of 3.1 yards per carry. In comparison, his fellow RB and now the Cowboys’ starting RB, Rico Dowdle, had 213 carries, 1,007 yards, and 1 touchdown, with an average of 4.7 yards per carry.
Following Dowdle's impressive performances in recent games, the focus shifted to Elliott, ultimately leading to Jerry's decision to part ways. Skip Bayless acknowledged the unprecedented nature of Ezekiel Elliott's rapid ascent and decline, highlighting his significant impact on Dak Prescott's MVP-caliber 2016 season.
He finished third in MVP that year. Matt Ryan won it, Brady was second. But the Cowboys were 13-3 out of nowhere and had the number 1 seed in the NFC because of Ezekiel Elliott, number 21. Lord have mercy. What a year he had as a rookie.