Google News Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith sounds off on Dallas' decision on Ezekiel Elliott
by DZEVAD MESIC | VIEW 867
Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith said he was "extremely disappointed" when the Cowboys decided to move on from Ezekiel Elliott. On March 15th, the Cowboys announced they were cutting running back Elliott after seven seasons together.
Elliott was one of the most featured players on the Cowboys offense in the last seven seasons but his production has been declining every year since his impressive rookie season in 2016. With Elliott gone, Tony Pollard moves to running back No 1 in Dallas.
During this past NFL draft, the Cowboys used their sixth-round pick on running back Deuce Vaughn.
Smith disappointed the Cowboys moved on from Elliott
"Oh no doubt. As a matter of fact, I was extremely disappointed that they allowed Zeke to leave.
Because of the injury to Tony Pollard, I thought they would keep both of those guys back there and would have been able to give them some time to see how Pollard bounced back. I know for a fact as a running back, when you sustain an injury like Tony Pollard has -- the question is can you come back? As a runner, I need my legs.
And I need my legs to function the way that they used to function. Will he come back the same? I don't know, I'm praying that he does. I wanna see the young man have a long, prosperous career. That's No. 1. No. 2 -- I just wanna see him back on the football field because he's such an exciting football player.
Having a backup or a starter like Zeke in the interim would have been one of things that I would have thought about. The Cowboys are business people and Zeke understands that, but you gotta strike when the iron is hot and get compensated for your value.
When you're not, people shift you out," Smith told CBS Sports. Nearly two months have passed since Elliott was cut and the running back hasn't yet signed anywhere. There hasn't been really much interest in Elliott and it will be interesting to see if and where he will play in 2023.
