Elliott asked for his release from the Cowboys in order to chase a Super Bowl ring
Just five days before the Dallas Cowboys played their season finale, three-time Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott asked to be released with the hope of latching on with a playoff-bound team to chase a Super Bowl ring.
Dallas granted his request, and Elliott will now be eligible to participate in the postseason after signing on to the practice squad of the Los Angeles Chargers on Tuesday night, per NFL Media.
Elliott becoming a Charger occurred because he lost a competition for his old spot as the Cowboys’ lead running back with undrafted veteran Rico Dowdle taking that mantle and producing the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career. Elliott rushed 74 times for 226 yards and three touchdowns while catching 12 passes for 69 yards in 15 games played in 2024.
He entered the NFL as the fourth overall pick in the 2016 Draft out of Ohio State. Elliott hit the ground running at the professional level, running for a league-best 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns his rookie year, earning a first-team All-Pro selection as well as a Pro Bowl trip. He led the NFL in rushing yards per game in each of his first three seasons, and led the league in total rushing a second time in 2018 with 1,434 yards. During his Cowboys career, Elliott was named an All-Pro twice and made three Pro Bowls. However, Elliott hasn’t rushed for 1,000 yards or averaged more than 3.8 yards per carry since 2021.
The Cowboys’ third all-time leading rusher, who is still just 29 years old, is a depth signing for an 11-6 Chargers squad that has battled injuries at the running back position throughout this season.
Leading rusher J.K. Dobbins, who has 905 yards rushing and nine touchdowns on 195 carries this season, missed four games from Weeks 13-16 because of a knee sprain suffered in Week 12 against the Baltimore Ravens. No. 2 running back Gus Edwards has missed six games this season with an ankle injury, and he didn’t play in Los Angeles’ final two games of the regular season.
Elliott’s new team is set to take him back to Texas on Saturday for the first game of the postseason, a 4:30 p.m. ET showdown on CBS with the AFC South champion Houston Texans (10-7).
If Edwards is unable to suit up this weekend, there could be a chance for Elliott to be elevated to the active roster and play on Saturday.
