The Cowboys parted ways with Elliott on December 15, bringing an end to his seven-season tenure with the team that drafted him No. 4 overall in 2016.
Elliott’s production has dropped in recent years, which combined with his hefty salary cap hit made him a fairly logical cut, especially with the team applying the franchise tag to Tony Pollard.
But Smith feels like Elliott deserved better, considering his contributions to the franchise. The Hall of Famer took to Instagram to voice his opinion on the situation.
“Wow, this is amazing to me-no disrespect to Malik Davis. Our starting running back is gone, and his backup has a broken leg? The NFL stands for not for long,” Smith wrote. “Everyone else, go get your money because they have no love for you. It don’t make sense and this is one of those things that make you shack your head. Thank you Z for giving everything you have including plan injured all of last year. This is why, the NFL stands for not the law. Everybody else go get your money because they have no love for you.”
Ezekiel Elliott
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott ‘Hurt’ by Elliott Release
Parting ways with Elliott wasn’t an easy decision, with the Cowboys understanding what kind of role he played in the locker room. He was also a very good friend of quarterback Dak Prescott, with the two coming into the league together the same year.
“I really can’t imagine taking the field without him,” Prescott said Thursday, according to The Athletic. “I don’t know if it’s completely hit me yet. Obviously, I’ve talked to him. I’m hurt. I’m sure he is.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been very open about his admiration of Elliott and penned a fairly emotional goodbye after the move.
“This is one of the toughest parts of operating a team,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said, in part, in a statement Wednesday. “Moments like this come, and extremely difficult decisions and choices are made. For the franchise. For me personally. For players too. We will always have a special place and love for Zeke and what he means to our Cowboys family, both as a person and a player. That will never change.”
Ezekiel Elliott Should Find Suitors in Free Agency
Elliott is now free to sign with any team but remains a free agent. He’s one of the most experienced free agent backs on the market and still has some juice left in the tank. While it was a tough season by his standards as a former rushing leader, Elliott still rushed for 876 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns last year.
While it’s been a tepid market so far, a scout told Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports that it’s likely Elliott lands on his feet somewhere.
“The RB market is pretty unforgiving, particularly this free agency,” the scout told Epstein, “he’s still young ‘enough’ with a history of production to land an opportunity/role somewhere. … And I don’t think anyone can deny his toughness.”
There’s also the chance Elliott returns to the Cowboys on a smaller contract, although Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk dubbed that reality “slim.”