You can officially label the Ezekiel Elliott signing as one of the worst in a long line of poor Dallas Cowboys moves from the 2024 offseason.
The Cowboys released Elliott this week with one game left in the regular season. Elliott reportedly requested his release, hoping to latch on with a contender before the playoffs. The three-time Pro Bowler is now a free agent after going unclaimed on waivers.
As of this writing, there have not been any rumblings about Elliott signing with a new team. Playoff-bound squads like the Chargers, Lions and Eagles (yuck!) could add Zeke for depth, but it wouldn't at all be surprising if the two-time rushing champ fails to find a new home before the postseason.
The Elliott discourse had become extremely toxic. It didn't help that Dallas waited until late-November to appoint Rico Dowdle as RB1. Despite bottom-barrel rushing metrics, the team shoehorned Zeke into the offensive game plan for the first two months.
At long last, the band-aid has been ripped off and it didn't take long for the front office to replace Elliott on the 53-man roster.
Cowboys replace Ezekiel Elliott with incredibly underwhelming signing
While Elliott gave Dallas almost nothing, the front office managed to sign a wholly underwhelmig replacement.
The Cowboys announced they signed defensive end Earnest Brown IV off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice squad and onto the 53-man roster. NFL rules permit teams to sign players off another club's practice squad but only if that player is signed to the active roster.
Brown is a former fifth-round pick of the Rams in 2021. He appeared in 12 games for Los Angeles in two seasons before the team moved on last January. He logged 14 tackles, one tackle for loss and six pressures with the Rams across 105 pass-rush snaps, per PFF.
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An Aubrey, TX native, Brown bounced between the Buccaneers practice squad and active roster, playing in a total of three games. He logged a total of 21 defensive snaps and failed to appear on the stat sheet.
For those keeping score at home, Brown is still waiting to record his first NFL sack. Nor does he have a quarterback hit, forced fumble or defensive stop.
Despite that, the Cowboys' scouting department clearly sees something in the former four-star recruit. That he was signed so late in the NFL calendar suggests Dallas has interest in signing him to a reserve/futures contract once the regular season is over. That would give him a chance to compete for a spot on the 53-man roster.
There is no reason to be up in arms over this move, but the front office undoubtedly left some meat on the bone.
With this roster leaking oil at defensive tackle, cornerback, running back and linebacker, surely they could have plucked someone off another team's practice squad who has at least a semblance of production in the league.
Disappointing, but not suprising: The Cowboys Way.