Can the Cowboys win a Super Bowl without Zeke?

By: Jake Rajala and Charlie Vakassian

Ezekiel Elliott has been one of the top running backs in the NFL for a long time. Zeke’s presence on the Dallas Cowboys has been vital for the Cowboys success. Nonetheless, the reigning NFC East champions have bigger leaders (Micah Parsons, Dak Prescot, Trevon Diggs) and a slightly different direction in 2022. 

There have been rumors that the ascending Cowboys could ship out the expensive RB. Cowboys Maven recently asked the world what the Cowboys should do with the “$17 million dollar question”. With that said, we decided to give our testimony on whether the team in Dallas should pardon Zeke. Let’s take a look.

Why the Cowboys should keep Zeke (Jake): 

The Dallas Cowboys are on the brink of making it to the Super Bowl. They have ascending stars like Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons. They still have a short-term window to chase Super Bowl royalty with Ezekiel Elliot on the Boys team. I also feel like Jerry Jones really wants a Super Bowl soon and they haven’t tasted a sweet Lombardi in quite some time. They haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1996. 

When Zeke is playing at a high level, the Cowboys and Prescott are a much more potent team. The Boys have a 26-4 record when their star RB rushes for 100+ yards, according to statmuse. It’s basically impossible to beat a Dak Prescott-led team when Zeke is playing like he’s from another planet. Zeke helps Prescott start in more manageable situations, be more efficient on the play-action game, and he helps his talented defense get more rest.

If the Cowboys ship out Zeke, they could waste Prescott’s talent. We’ve seen Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray very disgruntled with their situation. The Cowboys may feel spoiled with Elliot in their backfield, but Prescott might feel more attracted to a different “dream team” if his buddy isn’t in his offense anymore. The Cowboys shouldn’t take the gas off the pedal just yet. They should follow the Saints formula, where they have their studs Michael Thomas and Ryan Ramczyk recently) restructure their contracts. The Saints are in cap hell every season, but they walk the fine line of chaos and find a way to retain their key stars.

The Cowboys will also likely lose Gallup, so they should really keep the talented Elliot in their offensive attack. Elliot is also 26 years old and I strongly believe he can be more efficient for a couple of more seasons at least. When Zeke is 29 or 30 years old, then they should consider trading him. Prescott, Elliot, and Cooper can absolutely come out guns blazing in an NFC conference that may see the LA Rams, Green Bay Packers, and Arizona Cardinals look worse next season.

Why the Cowboys should trade Zeke (Charles):

The Dallas Cowboys are the cream of the crop in the NFC East, with the most talented quarterback by far, and an explosive offense. A key component of said offense is the star running back Ezekiel Elliot. Coming off of a solid season where he cracked over 1,000 yards and scored 12 times, Elliot is still one of the top backs in the game. This is exactly why the Cowboys should capitalize now and trade Elliot.

There are many star RBs that could be traded this offseason: Saquon, CMC, and Zeke. The Cowboys already have another young cheap, productive RB in Tony Pollard. Pollard is only 24 and had over 1000 total yards while acting as a backup. He could potentially outproduce Elliot if given a chance to start. 

Dallas is also in salary cap hell, $22M over the barrier. They will want to make space. Elliot is under a 6 year, $90M albatross contract. Second contracts for running backs typically do not pan out well. This contract runs through 2027 when Elliot would be 31. Running backs have a short shelf life, and we may have already seen the best days of Zeke. Dallas could save almost $13M against the cap this year by trading Elliot post June 1st.

 Getting that money off the books would be huge, and having a more than capable backup in Pollard lessens the need for a superstar at RB. Other positions are way more valuable to the team, like edge rushers, corners, and wideouts, which all happen to be team needs for the Cowboys this offseason. By trading Ezekiel Elliot, Dallas can focus its efforts on upgrading more premium positions, to make the Cowboys a more balanced team.