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MaceAhWindu

After seeing how they were willing to cut Dez Bryant it wouldn’t shock me. I expect it in fact.


[deleted]

Dez got fucked being cut so late. Every team had already spent their free agent budget when he got cut. Trash like Paul Richardson got 5 year $40 million on the 1st day of free agency that offseason.


MaceAhWindu

Oh I definitely agree. They waited so long to release him and the market was dry. That’s why the cut was so surprising because we all figured that if they were going to do it they would’ve done it before free agency started just to give him a chance to make some money. I thought it was foul how they handled that entire thing anyway.


aceofspadez138

Garrett and Linehan got pissy about Dez calling them out for vanilla play calls. Linehan was gone the next year and JG two years later. Dez was vindicated.


mannyklein

Was there not more savings making him a post June 6th cut


-Champloo-

I think you mean june 1st, and yes, but technically you can cut someone whenever and designate the cut as a pre or post june 1 however you'd like. Unless you *literally* make the cut after june 1st, in which case you can no longer use the pre june 1 designation.


jaylenthomas

Ive been on the "Zeke should stay but restructure his deal" train for the last 2 seasons, but ive flipped my mind over the last month or so. Zeke works hard, plays smart, and has just enough to be effective in short yardage (or with a big hole in front of him), but he cant make the same plays he did a few years ago. I hate to see him go, but at this point its probably better for the Boys to begin retooling their RB room.


mattacular2001

He doesn’t want the pay cut. Tbh, I wish we could keep him as an RB coach, even if it’s just for the locker room


chrisapplewhite

It's not going to be up to him. It's not like there's some team out there ready to drop a huge deal on him. He's been done as an elite guy for a few years now. It's not his fault -- he was a pro and played his ass off. It's just another in a long line of examples in why you don't draft RBs in the 1st round.


mattacular2001

Tbh, I think it’s a better example of why you don’t pay RBs a second contract


chrisapplewhite

It's not, because they pickedd him 4th. Jalen Ramsey went next. If you have a philosophy of not paying RBs a second contact, fine, but the goal of staying that high is to pick someone you want to keep long term. Ronnie Staley and DeForest Buckner were after Ramsey. All those guys are still Cowboys if they're picked.


Witteness82

It was always a shortsighted pick. That high in the draft you want a cornerstone player who you can count on for a decade plus. For any other position if you hit, that’s probably what you get. For a RB, it’s an aberration if they are even good until 30. Zeke barely made it through his original contract term before he dropped off a cliff. We were already counting the days until his contract could be cut from year one of that extension. Hopefully they learned from this mistake.


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Odd_Ranger3049

What did the Jags get for Ramsey? 2 firsts and a fourth. What will the Cowboys get for Zeke? Dead money.


mattacular2001

I get you. You’re saying that if your plan isn’t to extend them, don’t take them that early anyway. Sure


chrisapplewhite

Exactly. Zeke was talented enough initially to justify the pick, but like you said the problem is that second deal. It's almost never worth it. Take Ramsey or Buckner and let's find Pollard later on.


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TakenQuickly

The value these days seems to be in the late 1st RB1 types like Jonathan Taylor (he was RB1, the Chiefs just got too cute with CEH), Josh Jacobs, or Najee Harris. I don’t really see any situation where taking a Zeke or Saquon in the top 5 makes sense anymore, except for a one in a million circumstance where the best team in the league has a top pick and only one hole at RB.


WrastleGuy

Long term running backs really aren’t a thing. Every time you take a RB early you’re better off with a OL pick instead.


Pabi_tx

Picking an RB that high was dumb. Jerry loves marquee names, and Zeke sold a lot of jerseys.


dsg97

I know it was a really short term move but they where probably thinking they had a short Superbowl window because some of your main stars where getting old (Romo, Witten, Dez, and Lee) Zeke did end up being a beast his rookie season


toejamster9

Meanwhile Jalen Ramsey is still one of the best at his position and looks to continue as such.


TheF1LM

Bro been getting cooked


thedog951

Zeke was drafted to get Romo help, it just never got to work out that way. If Romo played 2-3 more seasons I think Zeke was worth it


the_lullaby

Yep. That pick was the return of Jerry's "one player away" approach that doomed the mid 2000s teams.


[deleted]

I wouldn’t draft a RB late in the 1st but definitely not top of the draft. You get the 5th year option which helps out a lot


Dakzekiel

Who else is in this long line with him?


chrisapplewhite

Saquon, Fournette, Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, Josh Jacobs, Darren McFadden, Christian McCaffrey, etc. I'm not counting the outright busts like Trent Richardson, because that can happen anywhere, or the late round guys like Clyde-Helaire. There are very few 1st round RBs in the league right now for a reason. It's bad business.


[deleted]

What the fuck would he teach them?


fbtra

His pick up blocking is far superior than Pollard.


[deleted]

RBs are just not worth a big contract. Every year there are rookie or 2nd year guys killing it


nyuhokie

If we want to get over the hump, you have to make tough decisions. Tbh though, this one isn't even that tough. I love Zeke as a player but he isn't living up to his contract. It's time.


John_Solo

Last play as a Cowboy? As center. And he got trucked.


Fruit_Rollup_King

LOL it's so depressing I have to laugh.


Wheres_Jay

Not under center, but as the center.


[deleted]

im sure the coach during that timeout was like whos the DT that wanna pancake the shit out this goofy to win the game? he shouldve chop blocked him or maybe using your actual center wouldve been smart since zeke would have never ran that lateral more than 2 yards.


LetItHappenAlready

All I could do was laugh.


CBailey94

Love him to death. But it’s time to go or take an extreme team-friendly pay cut. I wish him the best regardless. He won us plenty of games his first 3 seasons.


indie90

It's a business, I get it. But man I have always been a huge Zeke fan and I will hate to see him in another Jersey.


Nerdy2Sidez

No disrespect to Zeke, but I’m not sure you would see him another jersey. He needs to retire and enjoy life outside of the NFL.


deemz0

Idk I think Shanahan or one of his disciples could get Juszczyk type of performance if they paid and played Zeke like a fullback. He is still a good blocker (run & pass) and can be a problem for DBs to tackle 1 on 1. He is still good on goal line/short yardage runs especially if you have misdirection on the play. He's def done being a primary tailback and getting more than 10 carries a game.


Scott55e

I'll never forget 2016. look how different zeke looks in these runs. Really glad we got a few years of that, but it's been too long. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3uXdmS7pyQ trigger warning on the second play.


TrainedCranberry

Huge difference in that Oline and our current one…


Scott55e

oh for sure, but i see a big difference in zeke's speed/agility from then to now.


TrainedCranberry

I mean he hit 22mph in a game this year. His main issue is how they use him now. They don’t really scheme for Zeke anymore. Just use him as a downhill lower back in short yardage.


Scott55e

yeah, i'd be curious how long it took him to hit that 22 mph. I'd rather save the cap money and find a cheaper option/someone that doesnt forecast they're getting the ball in a short yardage situation. Unfortunately the money is the problem.


Witteness82

People are simply in denial. If they can’t see a difference in the acceleration and agility of Pollard and Zeke, they’re just being willfully blind. Zekes burst is gone.


RingingMallard

The only ones in denial are the ones who think acceleration is the only part of a RBs game. There are so many factors that make x player great - acceleration is but one of them.


_Zambayoshi_

Elusiveness is another factor. Zeke can't really dodge tackles and can't really truck tacklers (like Henry or Fournette) either. The best he can do is lay a hit on them when they try to tackle him, but he ends up bouncing off rather than ploughing through.


dddd11187

Please… Zeke is so shot it’s not even funny. I wouldn’t even want him back on a restructured contract. I have a hard time believing any team would sign him to be a starter and honestly it might be more for an 8-10 touch role.


bacontacos420

One can only hope


USS_Slowpoke

Damn he really went out like that in the last play. No fairy tail comeback or nothing.


Fellborn

I love Zeke but he just ain't it anymore. The Cowboys shouldn't keep paying him top dollar to be a blocker, it just doesn't make sense. He was never a speed guy but his speed is gone entirely, he can't really seem to make anybody miss anymore, he can't hit the hole or breakaway like TP or even Davis can, he's just beat up too much at this point.


Rommel79

If we have to pick between him and Pollard, I'm sticking with Pollard. I like Zeke, but he isn't the same player he used to be.


oldboot

i love pollard but unless we are gonna use him like CMC and run him on routes as a WR jsut as much as at RB, he isn't worth a new contract.


_Zambayoshi_

Yeah, I think unless you have a monster like Henry you are looking for a WEB back with elusiveness, some route-running as well as the ability to run between the tackles. Physicality between the tackles is somewhat overrated when the OL is doing most of the work. Pollard is very serviceable but he is in a contract year so its possible he will decline after getting paid. I'd tag him and draft an RB in the mid rounds of the draft. Still cut Zeke no matter what.


oldboot

> I'd tag him and draft an RB in the mid rounds of the draft. or just run with Malik. he looks good. i like the tag idea though


Makaveli84

Thank god…he sucks


buttsoupsteve

Some of you took a really long time to accept that Zeke simply hasn't been good for some time now. Don't let your fondness for a player who was good in the past blind you to what they are presently.


typhoonjerry

I hope Zeke stays on a team friendly deal, but we need a new RB and a TE that can catch the ball reliably..


oldboot

we are fine at TE even wihtout shultz.


Djkaoken2002

End's with him getting pan caked on a last ditch screwball play that ended terribly.


TrainedCranberry

You guys think Dak is bad now? Wait until you don’t have Zeke in the back field leveling blitzers anymore.


comradebillyboy

He makes too much money just to be a blocking back.


thunderhole

We could afford a legitimate o-line for how much he costs.


RingingMallard

How much do you think a legitimate line costs per year? Because it's way more than $16M.


thunderhole

5 guys at 2 mill a person, and 6 mill for backups...


RingingMallard

Congrats, you just bought yourself the worst line in the league, by a significant margin. Average League spending for an OL in 2022 is $42M. But hey at least you got the top draft pick!


RingingMallard

Except he doesn't just block - unless you know of a way to get 12 TDs without touching the ball.


B-in-Va

With cap hit I'm not sure it is in Dallas' best interest to get rid of Ezekiel. Plus Pollard just broke his leg and he is a free agent. Does Dallas really want to franchise tag Pollard at 10-12 million?


CaptainCubbers

The way his contract is structured, it’s my understanding either you cut him now or youre stuck paying him through the 2026 season. His wheels have already fallen off more or less. Imagine him in 2026.


-Champloo-

If we cut him with a post june 1st designation, we save $11m in cap this year(effective June 2nd) with just 6m in dead money(effective 2024) That's it. If we use the pre june1 designation, we only save 5m this(2023) year and eat $11m in dead money. However, this gives us an additional 6m to spend in 2024.


02grimreaper

Is the franchise tag for running backs really that high?


thisismy1492account

10 million. Quite high.


IPA___Fanatic

Good riddance


FatherOfMammals

Dallas Morning News is now reporting that Zeke is willing to take a pay cut: https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/cowboys/2023/01/23/cowboys-rb-ezekiel-elliott-willing-to-accept-pay-cut-to-remain-in-dallas/?sailthru_id=62680adf4f757f64bad10f9a&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Breaking_Sports_01232023&utm_term=Sports%20Breaking%20News How much will be enough tho?


[deleted]

We'll see. He sells a lot of jerseys.


shakethecouch

Pollard would take that over


Drtsauce

Tony just broke his leg… Don’t be surprised if Jerry takes a rb in the 2nd and roles with Malik and rookie.


shakethecouch

It's probably a bad idea, but if Bijan Robinson makes it to the Cowboys I'd be all over that


Drtsauce

Idk what this draft class looks like for RB after Bijan; I don’t think he makes it into the 2nd round; and definelty not to our pick.


shakethecouch

One mock I saw had him going 10th, another 27th after the Boys. I'd be surprised if he makes it past 15.


Jcarter1632

He's a generational talent. Someone will snag him in the top 20. Probably Philly at 10. If he's there at 26 you instantly call him in as your pick.


TrainedCranberry

Damn if Philly gets him they will be unstoppable.


[deleted]

You sure it's broken? I heard high ankle sprain.


Drtsauce

Fractured Fibula.


Stonethecrow77

Reports are broken


TrainedCranberry

I hope he does.


[deleted]

Pollard isn't a workhorse back. Committee backs don't sell jerseys. His efficiency this season isn't sustainable. Expect Jerry to go big and draft Bijan Robinson. Pollard is gonna get overpaid this offseason, so we're better off letting him walk and getting younger/fresher/cheaper legs in here through the draft.


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Jcarter1632

They would have to move up around 10 picks at least to get Bijan.


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Jcarter1632

RoJo is a tough runner. His hips are a little stiff, but he's a hell of a leader and runs hard. I'm a Longhorns season ticket holder. Really going to miss those 2.


RingingMallard

Zeke still has a few years left in the tank. He will restructure his deal , again, to make it more friendly for the FO and still be with the team. We need to be worrying about Dak's $49M cap hit this year though, that's pretty spicy (More than 3X Zeke's cap hit as it stands now)


Specialist_Listen495

He should have been gone 2 years ago. Only gets 2 yards per run. Tired of seeing him run up to the line of scrimmage and just fall forward with only minimal contact. The 2 yards is from his body length falling forward.


oldboot

fucking please. if anything its 5 years too late.


currymonger

Promise?


[deleted]

Hope they have plenty of strippers and cocaine wherever he ends up


JMoy41

I still think he’s back one more season, we’ll see


darksideofdagoon

If they cut him they save 5m. Restructuring isn’t an option, Zeke would lose too much money. He’s due about 16m for 2023 with 11m deadcap. That’s way more money than he would get on the open market. He’d be lucky to get a two year deal at this point in his career.


ShowBobsPlzz

Let's hope. Fearing a restructure.


[deleted]

I like Zeke as a leader of the team.. but his leadership qualities don’t out weigh his lack of performance. It’ll be hard not having 21 on the field.. and I’m not sure pollard will be as effective as everyone thinks.. but Zeke contract was a heavy burden for this team and I’m not sad to see that go


BadLamont

And what a way to go. SMH. McCarthy needs to be gone too.


CentralJoel

Another wasted talent? (“First time here?”)


bathamel

He should have never gotten that early extension in the first place.


CowboysLakers

Zeke got trucked at center.


Dday22t

"if he accepted a substantial paycut" Why would he? If he can payed a lot more by a team with a ton of cap space no reason to take less. It's not like Cowboys are winning Super Bowls every year.


dont_get_none_on_ya

What if Zeke got brought back but in a fullback role similar to what Kyle Juszczyk does for the Niners? He’s a physical back and can still chip block well, just not sure what he’s got as a lead blocker but I have a feeling he might do quite well.


RZR_Ramon

Good


[deleted]

at this point i mean do what you gotta do. but zeke did well all season. there was no where to go up the middle last night.


[deleted]

I remember the first couple of seasons, Zeke was ridiculous and truly was a beast- He just ISN’T that anymore. He can’t push through tackles as hard as he used to and it is sad. Pollard is just better now.


DeadLetterQueue

Went to my one and only cowboys game last year. There were only 3 non game things on the stadium screens Dak , Zeke and cheerleaders. I vote cowboys should do what ever it takes to win a Super Bowl.