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Cowboys lose out on Ezekiel Elliott replacement on affordable deal

By Scott Rogust

Aug 20, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reacts before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 20, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reacts before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Dallas Cowboys released running back Ezekiel Elliott earlier this week, and they may have lost out on his potential replacement.

The Dallas Cowboys are having some turnover on their roster, especially on the offensive side of the line of scrimmage. At the start of the 2023 league year, they announced that they were releasing running back Ezekiel Elliott from his contract, making him a free agent.

Considering the hefty cap hit Elliott carried, it was an easy decision for the Cowboys to make on paper. But who is going to replace him on the roster?

Well, one option is off the board.

According to ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Chicago Bears signed former Carolina Panthers running back D’Onta Foreman to a one-year, $3 million contract.

Cowboys lose out on potential Ezekiel Elliott replacement

Foreman is coming off of a career year with the Panthers, especially after the team traded Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers midseason. In 17 games played (nine starts), Foreman ran for 914 yards and five touchdowns on 203 carries, all of which were career-highs.

The Panthers are going through a roster overhaul with new head coach Frank Reich. Back on Feb. 23, Carolina running backs coach Duce Staley said he would like to bring back Foreman, but said it wasn’t his call.

The Panthers pivoted to bringing in the top free agent running back available in Miles Sanders. One day later, Foreman decided to sign with the Bears, where he will reunite with former Panthers teammates DJ Moore and PJ Walker.

As for the Cowboys, it’s unknown how they will fill the void left by Elliott. They did place the franchise tag on Tony Pollard, who will assume the starting role. In terms of free agents, the top available options are Damien Harris and Devin Singletary. There is also the option to look for options in the NFL Draft, with the biggest name of the class being Texas Longhorns star Bijan Robinson.

The league year has just begun, so there is plenty of time to figure out how the Cowboys are going to address the running back position.

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