Could Cowboys Reunite With Patriots Trade Candidate Ezekiel Elliott?
Ezekiel Elliott has had a good-not-great campaign with the New England Patriots. But given where New England stands after eight weeks, there’s reason to believe the organization could sell ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline.
According to Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard, the Patriots will listen closely on calls including the veteran running back.
“Trading Elliott would be a real coup — signed for nothing and offloaded to a contender for something?” Bedard wrote ahead of New England’s Week 8 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
The speculation surrounding Elliott has caused some to question whether a reunion with the Dallas Cowboys would make sense. Dallas once again looks like a title contender after consecutive wins over the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams in Weeks 6 and 8, respectively. However, the Cowboys were plagued by troubles in the red zone earlier this season and might benefit from a bruising back behind Tony Pollard.
It might not be a very creative landing spot given Elliott spent his first seven NFL seasons in Dallas, but one that makes some sense nonetheless.
Cowboys owner Jerry jones, though, doesn’t seem to think Dallas needs to add to its backfield.
“I like our running backs,” Jones told reporters after Dallas’ dismantling of the Rams, per Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill Jr. “I don’t want to dismiss anything but that is not a pointed position of need. At all. Not on the radar.”
Elliott has averaged 3.9 yards per rushing attempt this season with two touchdowns in his last three games. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry or more in three games this season.
The 28-year-old is playing on a one-year contract with a cap hit of $2.9 million. Given that he will become a free agent this offseason, Elliott shouldn’t cost a ton, but a future asset might be better for the Patriots than the current one.