Ezekiel Elliott 'Sacrifice' Cited as Dez Bryant Rips Cowboys RB Critics

In the midst of a debate over the future of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, his former teammate Dez Bryant has come to his defense.

What are the Dallas Cowboys going to do with running back Ezekiel Elliott? The $90 million man could be forced to take a significant pay cut or leave Dallas altogether as the Cowboys try and free up cap space for some offseason additions. 

The "Cut Zeke" crowd arises from a perceived regression from the former No. 4 overall pick. After a hot start to his NFL career, rushing for 1,000 yards in three of his first four seasons, Elliott has only passed over that benchmark once. And the decline isn't just statistically; as from the eye-test point of view, it can be argued he looks to have lost the explosiveness that made him such an important member of the Cowboys' offense. 

But if you were to ask his former teammate, Dez Bryant, the story of Elliott's decline isn't being told in full. 

"Zeke ain't gotta tell me shit for me to know he was sacrificing his unhealed body to give the Cowboys the best chance to win games playing whatever role," Bryant said on Twitter. "But if you going to talk about his game declining, make sure you talk about how badly injured he was … make it make sense… everybody will eventually take a step back but nowhere near how they are trying to make Zeke look." 

Bryant's defense of Elliott stems from a report that states "scouts and analysts all agree," that Zeke's only hope of staying in the NFL while getting paid properly is with the Cowboys. 

How can all scouts and analysts agree to this?…. Zeke ain’t gotta tell me shit for me to know he was sacrificing his un healed body to give the cowboys the best chance to win games playing whatever role… but if you going to talk about his game declining make sure you talk about… https://t.co/oWKx3eqLqg

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) February 22, 2023

Bryant's assertion that Elliott played through injuries is true, as only on one occasion has the Cowboys' running back failed to play in more than 15 games. That time was due to his six-game suspension in 2017.

Bryant's questioning that "all scouts and analysts agree'' is the understandable result of the tweet's grand claim. We're not sure how many scouts need to be surveyed to result in an "they-all-agree'' conclusion ...

But here are the facts: the NFL is a business - as Dez himself, having been dumped by Dallas in 2018, knows well.

The Cowboys are currently $7 million over the NFL's new salary cap for 2023, and Zeke's massive contract was designed with an escape match for this spring. Combine that with fellow running back Tony Pollard being on an expiring deal and potentially heading toward a franchise tag, and the end of the Ezekiel Elliott Era seems near. 

And if what Dez Bryant is asking for is some respect for that era, and what Zeke has sacrificed on the way to earning his payday? We agree.

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