4 former Cowboys players who are still surprisingly free agents

1. Ezekiel Elliott

The NFL world would be shocked to see Ezekiel Elliott remain on the market for the rest of the offseason.

The former Cowboys running back was released earlier this year to free up cap space, and at the time, the team had already extended his replacement in Tony Pollard with several backup options behind him.

Given the Dallas brass’ obvious affinity for Zeke, no one’s closing the door on an Elliott-Cowboys reunion this summer — unless another team picks him up first.

Elliott is the top free agent running back left in a withering market, though his numbers from 2022 don’t do him any favors. He finished last in the NFL in yards per carry (3.8) and percentage of runs that went for 10-plus yards (7.4), and he averaged a career-low 58.4 rushing yards per game.

The 27-year-old ball-carrier has officially begun his decline. Such was to be expected for a player at his age and position.

Even if other teams don’t necessarily want to take a chance on an aging, out-of-sorts ex-Cowboy, they might sign him to prevent him from returning to Dallas. NFC East teams like the Eagles or Giants have a well-established ground game heading into 2023, but wouldn’t it just be the snarkiest idea to sign Elliott as a major bird-flipping move to Mike McCarthy and Co.? Set the tone early, and let the divisional rivalries rear their ugly heads.

There’s little to no chance that Elliott doesn’t find a home in 2023. Someone will grab him whether that’s Dallas, a team that hates Dallas, or a team in search of last-minute running back depth.