The Eagles are on the radar of two-time All-Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The four-time 1,000-yard rusher was released by Dallas in mid-March due to salary-cap restraints. The No. 4 overall pick in 2016 NFL Draft, Elliott is set to turn 28 in July but already has seven seasons under his belt and nearly 2,200 touches in his career.
Elliott quickly developed into one of the most dynamic backs in the league and topped out at 1,631 rushing yards in his rookie campaign. In three of his first four pro seasons, Elliott had at least 300 rushing attempts and there was a clear decline in his production in his fifth season. He was a 1,000-yard runner in three of his first four seasons and had 983 in 2017 when he missed six games due to injury. Over the last three seasons, Elliott has topped 1K just once (1,002 in 2021) and is coming off a career-low 3.8 yards per rush last season.
While part of that downtick could be attributed to the Cowboys finding another good RB in Tony Pollard, most can be raced to the wear and tear of Elliott’s immense traffic early in his career.
According to Schefter, Elliott is also interested in the New York Jets, who are expected to trade for Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the upcoming days or weeks, and Cincinnati, a significant contender in the AFC and in close proximity of Elliott’s college home at Ohio State.
Cowboys’ RB Ezekiel Elliott has narrowed down his options about where to play to the Eagles, Jets and Bengals, and he would like to make his decision about where to sign by the end of next week, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 23, 2023
The Eagles lost their 2022-23 RB1, Miles Sanders, in free agency to the Carolina Panthers and signed the oft-injured Rashaad Penny to a one-year cost-effective deal to join a backfield that also includes Kenny Gainwell, Boston Scott, Trey Sermon, and Kennedy Brooks.
Philadelphia only guaranteed Penny $600,000 so his deal does not prohibit moving in a different direction, be it with a veteran like Elliott or a draft pick in April.
While Elliott is unlikely to regain the juice he had earlier in his career he could have a resurgence behind the Eagles’ offensive line, which is regarded as one of the best in the NFL. He’s also a solid pass protector and good outlet receiver, areas where the Philadelphia backs have struggled in recent years,
The last time the Eagles went this route and signed a Dallas RB who was essentially run into the ground was 2015 with DeMarco Murray.
Murray led the league in rushing in 2014 with a mind-numbing 392 carries for 1,845 yards and managed just 702 in 193 carries for the Eagles the next season. Two years later Murray was out of the NFL.
