3 reasons Cowboys were unequivocally right to release Ezekiel Elliott
By Jerry Trotta
1. The salary cap savings
If the Cowboys were set on trading Amari Cooper to save cap space, then releasing Elliott shouldn’t have needed much deliberation.
Cooper proved with the Browns (78 catches for 1,1160 yards and nine TDs), that he’s still a borderline top-10 player at his position. In Elliott’s case, you can probably name 15 or so running backs in the league — if not more — that you’d prefer to this version of the former No. 4 overall pick.
Again, the cap savings is the biggest variable here.
As a post-June 1 release, cutting Elliott will save Dallas $10.9 million against the cap. It’s more than what they’d save next offseason. If they waited until 2025, releasing the player will save $15.4 million, per OverTheCap, but that’s not happening. This was simply the best time to get it done, and doing so this early into free agency gives Zeke plenty of time to find a new home.
He deserves that much.
If the Cowboys want to build a Super Bowl-worthy roster, they need to throw some money around. Stephon Gilmore is a start, and releasing Elliott is also a part of that process. It will hurt for a while, but it’ll benefit the organization in the long run.
Who knows? It may pay off as recently as next season.
