Are the Eagles, Bengals, or Jets the Best Fit for Ezekiel Elliott?

Former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was released after seven years with the team and is looking for a new landing spot for the first time in his NFL career. The 27-year-old has shown he can still be productive, as he scored at least one touchdown in every game he played from Week 6 to Week 17.

Elliott has lost some of the explosiveness he had in his younger days, but remains as good of a goal line back as you can find. With the offseason plugging along, he will find a home in the coming days.

Elliott recently released a list of preferred destinations, citing the Eagles, Bengals, and Jets as his landing spots of choice. All three teams should be contending, with Elliott making it clear that he wants to play for a competing team. Where will the veteran running back land? 

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Is Ezekiel Elliott Signing with the Eagles?

Elliott’s decision to select a former division rival as a preferred landing spot may agitate some Dallas Cowboys’ fans, but he would bring a veteran presence to a running back room that could use a goal line back.

Philadelphia let Miles Sanders walk to Carolina this offseason and signed former Seahawk Rashaad Penny to pair with Kenneth Gainwell in the backfield. Penny has struggled to stay healthy over the course of his five-year career, so adding Elliott to spell him and not overuse him would make sense.

Despite Elliott’s interest in the Eagles, it appears that there are currently no talks of bringing him on board. Philadelphia may turn to the draft to address the running back position, as they could add Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs with one of their two first-round picks, rather than adding an established veteran like Elliott.

Is Ezekiel Elliott Signing with the Bengals?

Joe Mixon has been floating around as a potential cut candidate for Cincinnati, but as of now they have opted to keep him on the roster. That being said, backup running back Samaje Perine joined forces with the Denver Broncos which leaves Chris Evans as the second running back on the roster.

Head coach Zac Taylor alluded to the fact that Elliott’s statement on his top three destinations was “the first [he’d] heard of it.” While pairing Elliott with Mixon in the backfield for a veteran one-two punch could be interesting, it appears that the Bengals have no plans of doing so. 

Elliott’s announcement looks to be a lot more of a wishlist than a top three landing spots list.

Is Ezekiel Elliott Signing with the Jets?

Of the three teams on Elliott’s wishlist, the New York Jets are the only team that has not made a public statement denying interest in the running back.

However, second-year running back Breece Hall does not appear happy with the rumblings. In a since-deleted tweet that was put out shortly after the Elliott news broke, Hall stated “I think we good over here @8kMike (tagging fellow Jets running back Michael Carter) hbu?” 

The Jets do not appear to be in need at the running back position between Breece Hall, Michael Carter, and former undrafted free agent Zonovan Knight. As Hall mentioned, adding Elliott might not make sense.

Are the Eagles, Bengals, or Jets the Best Fit for Ezekiel Elliott?

Of the three teams on his wishlist from a fit standpoint, the Philadelphia Eagles make the most sense as a landing spot for Elliott. He could step in and take a short-yardage role right away and rotate in on early downs to keep Rashaad Penny’s legs fresh. If Philadelphia is truly uninterested in him, expect them to draft a running back within the first three rounds.

The truth of the matter may be that none of these teams feel that they could use Elliott. If that ends up being the case, we could see him refrain from signing somewhere until in-season when a team suffers a running back injury and needs a guy to step in and produce.

Elliott has shown he can still be a great goal-line back and it is only a matter of time before a contender steps up to the plate and signs him. He could have another mid-RB2 type of season if he lands in an efficient offense that utilizes him as a goal-line and early-down back.

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