Tag: Ezekiel Elliott

Fowler: Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott open to reunion, popular Texas RB also set for visit

From @ToddBrock24f7: There’s mutual interest in bringing Zeke back to Dallas, even as Texas RB Jonathon Brooks is scheduled for a 30 visit with the club.

There is reportedly mutual interest between the Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott in bringing the three-time Pro Bowl running back to Dallas for the 2024 season.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler cited sources in a Saturday report, adding that while a deal has not been reached, both sides are apparently open to the idea.

The 28-year-old two-time rushing champ played in all 17 games of New England’s regular season last year, his first and only away from the Cowboys. And while his rushing attempts, rushing yards, touchdowns, and yards-per-carry average were all career lows, it’s thought that his 6-foot, 226-pound body can still deliver punishment out of the backfield and in pass blocking, components that were largely missing in 2023 with Tony Pollard shouldering the load in Dallas.

Over seven seasons with the Cowboys, Elliott racked up over 8,200 rushing yards and scored 68 touchdowns on the ground. His familiarity with the Dallas offense and his chemistry with teammates and coaches would be a huge plus in a season where the Cowboys must come out of the gates hot and stay comfortably in playoff contention wire to wire.

Whether the fanbase were to view an Elliott return as a step in the right direction after a frustratingly quiet offseason or just another reason to write the team off and look to a 2025 reset is up for debate.

But the Cowboys are at least interested in younger options at the running back position, too.

Texas prospect Jonathon Brooks is among the top running backs who will be available in the upcoming draft, and he already has a 30-visit scheduled with the Cowboys.

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Brooks didn’t work out at the combine or the school’s pro day, as he is still rehabbing a November ACL tear that prematurely ended his only season as the Longhorns’ starter. But in 11 games, he gained over 1,100 yards, scored 10 touchdowns, and showed enough size, speed, strength, and agility to perhaps make the redshirt sophomore an intriguing roll of the dice.

Additionally, Brooks’s surgery was performed by Dr. Dan Cooper, the Cowboys’ head physician, perhaps giving the team an inside track on his progress. And Brooks himself claims he’s on track to be cleared in time for training camp this summer.

The native of Hallettsville, Tex. is considered an explosive runner with good quickness, but perhaps not home-run speed. Weighing just 207 pounds, he may not be as much of a bruiser as Elliott was in his prime (or even is now), but he could prove to be effective as part of the right backfield committee.

Maybe even one in Dallas that also includes Ezekiel Elliott.

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Projected market value for Patriots’ top pending free agents

The Patriots have multiple in-house free agents they might want to re-sign. Here’s what it could cost them.

Big decisions loom on the horizon for the New England Patriots heading into free agency.

They’re sitting pretty right now with roughly over $100 million in available salary cap space, but they are also a team bogged down with various holes and upgrade needs on their roster.

Free agency isn’t just about paying big money to load up on outside talent. It’s also about keeping the talent you already have to ensure some continuity. Not everything was bad with the 4-13 Patriots, and this isn’t a situation where the organization is looking to throw the entire team away.

There were pieces that stood out as potential parts of an eventual solution in New England. and it now falls on Patriots executive Eliot Wolf and the front office to figure out ways to keep those pieces intact.

Today, we’re taking a closer look at the Patriots’ top free agents and their projected market values, according to PFF.com and Spotrac.com.

Ranking 2024’s top 12 free-agent running backs

Top 12 running backs of the 2024 offseason

Given what they gave Miles Sanders last year, the Carolina Panthers probably won’t be sifting through the open market for a big-name running back this spring.

But just in case you were curious, here are the top 12 free-agent rushers for the offseason:

9 Running backs Minnesota could target in free agency

From Saquon Barkley to Derrick Henry, here are 9 running backs they could target in free agency

We know that the Minnesota Vikings are currently at a crossroads. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is entering his third offseason with the team and has the resources and ability to truly shape this team in whatever way he wants.

After going 7-10 in 2023 to follow up a 13-4 NFC North winning campaign, there are a lot of questions that he needs to answer and the offensive backfield is arguably the biggest one.

We all know that the quarterback position is the biggest one, but running back is just as big. Neither Alexander Mattison nor Ty Chandler have proven enough to set themselves apart as the starting running back for the future. Chandler has a better chance since he has the ability and explosiveness but there are real questions about if he can ever be consistent.

In free agency, the Vikings could look to sign a running back to help fix the running game. Here are nine options representing different levels of commitment.

Every NFL team’s rushing leader from the 2023 regular season

Here is every team’s leading rusher from the 2023 campaign

A Carolina Panther led the entire NFL in rushing this past season!

Oh, wait . . . our apologies . . .

A former Carolina Panther led the entire NFL in rushing this past season!  So, congratulations to Christian McCaffrey, who is also just days away from playing on the game’s biggest stage.

Now, as we continue to put a bow on the year, let’s look back at each team’s leading rusher from the 2023 regular season.

18 pending free agents for Patriots heading into offseason

18 pending Patriots free agents heading into the offseason

The New England Patriots head into an offseason of uncertainty with a slew of pending free agents.

Of course, the first order of business is making a decision on whether Bill Belichick stays, goes or has his powers stripped as the de facto general manager for the team.

Then the Patriots can begin to attack the who stays and who goes questions.

Whoever takes over the personnel decisions will have a tough run right out of the gates with key free agents likely requiring big contracts to keep employed. Players like offensive guard/swing tackle Mike Onwenu and safety Kyle Dugger won’t be returning for cheap.

And that’s only scratching the surface. Here are 18 pending free agents for the Patriots heading into the offseason:

5 big takeaways from Patriots’ season-ending 17-3 loss to Jets

Here are 5 big takeaways from what may have been Bill Belichick’s final game with the Patriots

In what very well may have been Bill Belichick’s final game leading the team, the New England Patriots lost to the New York Jets in Foxborough on Sunday for the first time in 15 matchups between the two teams.

Snowy and windy conditions throughout led to the kind of old-school football that Belichick would likely revel in. The quarterbacks of both teams combined for just over 150 passing yards while New York fed running back Breece Hall over 30 carries to dominate the ground game.

Moreover, field goals made up the only scoring in the contest until a late-game Jets touchdown put New York two scores ahead of New England with just a few minutes remaining in the contest.

Here are five big takeaways from the 17-3 loss.

Podcast: Predicting which Patriots top free agents stay and go in 2024

Who’s staying and who’s leaving the Patriots at the end of the season?

When it comes to the New England Patriots, there has been so much talk surrounding the 2024 NFL draft that free agency is seemingly being overshadowed.

Not only will the Patriots enter free agency as one of the team’s with the most cap space, but they’ll also have one of the most extensive pending free agent lists in the NFL. Key players, such as Kyle Dugger, Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne, Trent Brown, Mike Onwenu and Ezekiel Elliott might all be playing elsewhere in 2024.

Ryan O’Leary and I discuss the possibilities, as well as predict if these players stay and go, in this week’s episode of the Patriots Wire Podcast.

Follow the Patriots Wire Podcast:
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We want to hear from you. Please let us know your thoughts and opinions on the topics covered in this week’s show. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Who should the Patriots bring back in 2024? What players should they let go? And what Patriots-related storyline are you most interested in heading into the offseason?

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12 key contributors could be in final days with Patriots

These 12 players could be playing football elsewhere in 2024

The last week of the regular season means some New England Patriots players could be in their final days with the team.

Many are pending free agents that aren’t likely to be brought back, while others could be let go for other reasons. The Patriots have players on both ends of the spectrum.

They won’t be able to re-sign everyone, even with the lucrative salary cap expectations for the team in 2024. There’s also the possibility of the team hiring a new regime altogether, if they ultimately make the decision to fire coach Bill Belichick.

Serious changes could be on the horizon for the Patriots, and here are 12 players that could be caught up in it at the end of the season:

WATCH: Ezekiel Elliott rumbles into end zone with angry touchdown run

This was an angry touchdown run by Ezekiel Elliott

The New England Patriots scored their third touchdown of Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills courtesy of Ezekiel Elliott, who rumbled into the end zone with an angry highlight reel run.

Elliott scored from six yards out at the beginning of the fourth quarter to cut the Bills’ lead to 27-21 following the extra point.

The touchdown itself was set up by a 30-yard catch from wide receiver Jalen Reagor, along with a 17-yard snag by Demario Douglas. Elliott took care of the rest, as he followed the right guard from eight yards out for the touchdown. It was Elliott’s third touchdown of the season.

He has taken on a bigger role in the running game with Rhamondre Stevenson out. Sunday was just one of the many games he’s showed up for the challenge.

The Patriots didn’t come away with the win, but Elliott’s performance was a positive for the team. He continues to prove that he still has plenty of gas left in his veteran legs.

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