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Trade Rumor: Dallas Cowboys Could Want Reunion with Ezekiel Elliott of Patriots
Trade Rumor: Dallas Cowboys Could Want Reunion with Ezekiel Elliott of Patriots
Nearly every horror film enjoyed this Halloween ends with the antagonist promising to return in a sequel. The follow-ups themselves are equally guilty.
The Dallas Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott era could be the latest retread due for zombification: with Elliott’s current employers, the New England Patriots (2-6), sunk at the bottom of the AFC standings, the veteran running back could be part of the presumed fire sale that’s set to hit the reset button on Foxborough’s post-Tom Brady affairs before the league-wide trade deadline a 3 p.m. CT.
Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report says that “RB-needy” teams have gotten on the phone with the Patriots inquiring about Elliott’s services. Could the Cowboys be among that group?
At first glance, re-adding Elliott seems to be counterintuitive: the last thing Dallas (5-2) needs in a legitimately hopeful season is another subplot. Bidding Elliott farewell over the offseason and watching that decision gain further justification the longer he dwelled on the free agents’ list was perhaps the neatest way possible the divorce could’ve gone for Dallas. Cowboys fans hear enough taunts about “living in the past.” Why offer such a fresh, gaping sore spot to attack?
But one look at the Cowboys’ red zone percentages offer all the evidence for an Elliott reunion.
Elliott carries the ball during his return to Arlington earlier this fall
USA TODAY SPORTS
Releasing Elliott was perhaps a mature move from a franchise so founded on nostalgics but there’s no doubt that his departure has had a bit of a negative impact: for all of Elliott’s flaws in his final stanzas as a Poke, he could still reliably score. In the midst of by far his most dreary season to date, Elliott still visited the end zone a dozen times, tied for the second-highest residency of his career behind only 15 he had in year one. All of those touchdowns came in goal-to-go situations no further than 10 away (the outlier was a 14-yard tally).
For its part, Dallas has made do with what it’s got, fulfilling another cinematic trope: feigning happiness upon encountering your ex. The Cowboys have feasted upon lesser competition, including Elliott’s Patriots. The memes of the Brett Maher saga have vanished, giving way to outright NFL history from Brandon Aubrey. If Dallas wasn’t trapped in a division with a potentially durable juggernaut in Philadelphia, they’d be sitting oh so pretty in the NFC playoff race.
But Aubrey’s triples, no matter how reliable, aren’t going to cut if the Cowboys want to finally get over the NFC Divisional hump. With Elliott’s successors taking noticeable dips in production (i.e. two touchdowns, 3.9 yards a carry for Tony Pollard), there’s no doubt that his change of pace has at least been somewhat missed. His mere prescience could be reassuring for Pollards and the young ones left behind, as well as his close friend and backfield mate Dak Prescott.
As a team, Dallas led the league in red zone touchdown production at over 71 percent last season, even besting the mighty Kansas City Chiefs. This time around, they rank 29th in the same department, ahead of only the reeling Tennessee Titans and whatever’s passing for offense in New Jersey these days.
Following a listless loss to division rival Miami, New England is also in prime selling position: any veteran with the “missing piece” label will likely be up for grabs over these final hours unless they have a solidified place in Bill Belichick’s blueprint. Even if Elliott has been far from New England’s biggest issue, it was always hard to envision his helmet displaying a Flying Elvis beyond the 2023 campaign. If the Cowboys were going to stage a reunion, there’d be no better time to do it.
The Cowboys are tired of working through the same script over and over again with the lone twist being the different culprit in each season’s killing. With red zone woes undoubtedly standing as one of the biggest issues, reshoots might finally be in store with Elliott on the block.
