With the Ezekiel Elliott era officially over, Jerry Jones is ready to fess up for a massive mistake the Cowboys made with him.
Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys are no more. Though Elliott was loved in Dallas for a short while and an elite running back for a stint, he was a microcosm of the issue with running backs, and particularly highly-drafted ones in the NFL: They have a short shelf-life.
Elliott made it to three Pro Bowls donning the Big Star, but he had just three years of elite, 85-plus yards per game rushing before he fell off a cliff. In his final two years, he was mentioned as a possible trade piece with Tony Pollard emerging as the team’s stronger back.
His first three years made Jerry Jones and the draft war room look like geniuses for taking him fourth overall in 2016. His last four made that same group look ill-advised.
Jerry Jones finally admits Cowboys were overzealous in Ezekiel Elliott draft
We all knew it, but it’s still nice to hear it from the man himself.
Jones admits that Elliott was taken too early in 2016. Thanks, Jerry, that’s all we needed to hear! Next, Cowboys nation needs you to do better in 2023 at No. 26.
The Elliott implosion and his ultimate release has been a reminder for teams that the running back position is a depreciating one. As soon as you take that car off the lot, the value goes way down.
Picking up a high-ceiling RB later in the draft is a better move because there’s less money to commit, and far more possible upside.
That doesn’t bode well for Bijan Robinson, the Texas running back who is far and away the best running back in this draft. While it’s perhaps unfair to apply Elliott’s failures to Robinson before he’s played a down of NFL football, a running back that has staying power beyond five years is rare in general these days. There’s an understandable pause with Robinson.
That said, he’s a good enough talent that he may still be taken in the top 10. One team in that range is already eyeing him, it looks like. Robinson has already said he’s open to being used in a multipositional way to help get the stinky stigma of “running back” off his shirt.
We’ll see where Robinson goes. Hopefully, the general manager that takes him isn’t saying the same thing Jones is by 2030.
