NFL Rumors: Ezekiel Elliott to Buccaneers gathers pace after Cowboys exit
The Dallas Cowboys released running back Ezekiel Elliott on Wednesday, March 15. The news was reported this afternoon by NFL Network reporter, Ian Rapoport and the move is expected to save them $4.86 million toward the cap.
While Ezekiel Elliott isn't what he once was earlier on in his career, he will gain interest from multiple teams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently one of them.
End of an era: The #Cowboys have informed former NFL rushing champ Ezekiel Elliott that they are releasing him, per me and @TomPelissero. He’ll be designated as a post-June 1 release to create cap space. https://t.co/QKZhkny76i
Buccaneers Insider Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times confirmed the news on Wednesday afternoon.
Ezekiel Elliott appears out in Dallas and Bucs will be interested tampabay.com/sports/bucs/20…
The Buccaneers are expected to release starting running back Leonard Fournette. He played the last three seasons for the Buccaneers after being released by the Jaguars before the start of the 2020 season.
He became a Super Bowl champion with the Bucs in 2020, and has rushed for over 1600 yards and 17 touchdowns the last three seasons.
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The Bucs could be looking to replace Fournette with Elliott. He rushed for 876 yards and 12 touchdowns, and caught 17 passes for 92 yards this past season. In his career, he has made three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams.
Cowboys committed to Tony Pollard after Ezekiel Elliott cut
As the Cowboys move on from Elliott, they'll be committed to Tony Pollard going forward. The team used the franchise tag on him this off-season as he was set to an unrestricted free agent once the new league year started. He will be paid $10.1 million this season.
This past season, Ezekiel Elliott rushed for a career-low 876 yards and averaged 3.8 yards per carry. Pollard rushed for a career-high 1,007 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns. He tied his career high in receptions (39) and recorded a career-high in receiving yards (371.)
Ezekiel Elliott is on the move and could be a Buccaneer or he could land with a different team.