Jets RBs show true feelings about Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott as rumors swirl
By Jerry Trotta
The Dallas Cowboys community was taken for a spin Thursday evening when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Ezekiel Elliott has narrowed down his list of potential suitors to three teams: the Eagles (!), Bengals, and Jets, and that Elliott is aiming to make a decision by the end of next week.
A resolution is coming, and suffice it to say no Cowboys fan want to see Elliott remain in the division for the hated Eagles.
All told, we’re rooting for Elliott to land with the Jets or Bengals, or any AFC team that’s in the Super Bowl conversation. The Bengals are the better fit on paper given they need a replacement for Samaje Perine, but the Jets have questions at RB as rookie phenom Breece Hall recovers from ACL surgery.
The only problem? It doesn’t seem Hall wants Elliott in Florham Park.
In a since deleted tweet, Hall tagged teammate and fellow back Michael Carter implying the Jets’ running back room is all set.
Carter co-signed his teammate’s gesture.
I don’t think the #Jets current RBs want Zeke pic.twitter.com/YLjOBUUzLC
— The Jet Press (@TheJetPress) March 23, 2023
Jets RBs Breece Hall and Michael Carter clearly don’t want the Jets to sign former Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott.
It’s important to note these tweets surfaced minutes after Schefter’s Elliott bombshell. It doesn’t take a private investigator to come to the realization that Hall and Carter are tweeting about Elliott wanting to come to New York.
That’s an odd stance given the Jets outlook at running back. Hall was on his way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in a landslide before his knee injury. He looked the part of a star back, but his ACL surgery should give New York pause about whether he’ll replicate that form a year removed from the injury.
Taken in the fourth round of the 2021 draft, Carter underwhelmed significantly filling in for his injured teammate. He averaged 3.5 yards per carry on 114 carries, amassed seven explosive runs (Elliott had 17) and just 2.7 yards after contact per attempt, according to PFF.
So let’s get this straight: A player who by all statistical measures was a below-average running back a season ago is turning his nose up at a three-time Pro Bowler and former All-Pro … who would bring leadership and needed experience to a young (immature?) backfield? Got it.
Cowboys’ RB Ezekiel Elliott has narrowed down his options about where to play to the Eagles, Jets and Bengals, and he would like to make his decision about where to sign by the end of next week, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 23, 2023
The Jets re-signed four-year pro Ty Johnson to a one-year deal, and they still have promising undrafted free agent Zonovan “Bam” Knight.
There’s no denying New York has bodies in the backfield.
The question is whether they’re capable of carrying the load if Hall struggles post-surgery. There’s optimism he’ll be ready for training camp, but the Cowboys learned first-hand with Michael Gallup that players don’t always hit the ground running coming back from an ACL.
It’s an interesting conversation for sure, but we’d be lying if we said we expected the Jets’ young running backs to throw shade at Elliott when they’ve been so open about recruiting Aaron Rodgers, who, unlike Zeke, doesn’t have an applauded reputation as a teammate and could retire at any moment.
