Former Cowboys and Patriots RB Ezekiel Elliott signed with the Los Angeles Chargers who will face the Houston Texans in the wild card round.
Ezekiel Elliott and Jim Harbaugh (Image via IMAGO)
Ezekiel Elliott wasn’t a free agent for too long. The Pro Bowl rusher is set to take snaps alongside JK Dobbins behind Justin Herbert for the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Dallas Cowboys cut ties with the 29-year-old right before their final game against the Washington Commanders. Elliott fell down the depth charts as undrafted running back Rico Dowdle rushed 1000 yards as the starter.
Jerry Jones decided that it was in Elliott’s best interests to play for a playoff team as the Cowboys’ dreams of playing knockout football ended in week 16. They already had veteran Dalvin Cook as a backup to Dowdle if they needed him besides second-year back Deuce Vaughn who took several meaningful snaps against the Commanders.
By releasing Elliott, the Cowboys freed up a decent amount of cap space which helped them re-sign QB Will Grier, LB Darius Harris, G Jack Anderson, DB Luq Barcoo, and several others. The deal turned out to be sweet for Elliott as well. Even though no team claimed him off waivers, the Chargers came forward and signed the speedster to their practice squad.
Chargers fans on social media excited about Ezekiel Elliott joining the team
Following a disastrous 5-12 season that saw Brandon Staley fired as head coach, the Chargers appointed former player and 2023 CFP Champion with Michigan, Jim Harbaugh. The LA franchise clinched the fifth seed in the AFC for finishing second behind the 15-2 Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West with an 11-6 record.
Chargers fans have time and again asked for a big-name player to join the team for a while. Although Elliott had a down year, he is experienced enough to raise the expectation levels for the fans.
Despite the impressive record, Harbaugh’s Chargers had the 17th-best rushing offense. Former Baltimore Ravens RB JK Dobbins took most of the snaps, racking up 905 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns in 13 games.
The RB 2 spot went to Gus Edwards who recorded 101 carries for 365 yards and four touchdowns this season. However, Edwards is dealing with an injury and his availability remains questionable. This is where Ezekiel Elliott comes in.
If Edwards fails to recover in time, then the former Ohio State RB can contribute as Harbaugh sees fit. Even though 2024 was underwhelming with 74 carries for 226 yards and zero touchdowns, he can still prove to be valuable for the Chargers.
