Cowboys Draft: The Case AGAINST Drafting Ezekiel Elliott

The Cowboys’ payroll was built to pay the offensive line and NOT the running back. That’s why a player like Ezekiel Elliott does not make sense for the Dallas Cowboys.

A few years ago, the Cowboys decided to invest heavily in their offensive line. The thinking was a dominant line can make average RBs great. This would make the RB position a replaceable part and save a team bundles on the position as a result.

Since the NFL is trending in a devalued RB direction, the Cowboys were praised for their drafting. Investing in a less injury-prone position group like the offensive line would protect the Cowboys from inevitable injuries at the RB position.

In other words – the Cowboys would no longer live or die by the RB, but rather be stable in the running game regardless of who’s toting the rock.

Just because the 2015 Cowboys fell short of the rushing expectations set by DeMarco Murray in 2014, doesn’t mean it’s economically wise to scrap the plan halfway through.

Here’s the argument AGAINST…

If the Cowboys invest their first round pick on the running back position later this month, they need to be willing to go thin elsewhere. It’s simple economics. As Mickey Spagnola always says, “you can’t have steak at every position.” You need to go cheap and play with some “ground beef” at other starting spots to counteract the massive expenditure.

Sure, everything is affordable now under the rookie deals. But after those deals expire, and those multimillion dollar extensions start replacing them, the Cowboys will need to make some decisions regarding their personnel and what they can afford.

Cowboys Economics

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Look no further than the offensive line. Tyron Smith has already cashed in big and is playing on an enormous 8-year/$97.6M second contract. Travis Frederick is currently entering negotiations mode for his second contract, and as one of the top-2 centers in the game, he’s expected to soon become the highest paid center in the NFL. Zack Martin is an All-Pro himself.

It’s highly likely he’ll be the highest paid guard in the NFL in 2018 when he becomes a free agent himself.

You simply cannot afford to draft a player in the first round and allow him to depart in free agency.

That’s three players on the Cowboys offensive line who are all expected to be paid among the highest in the league. But that’s ok. This team was constructed to pay the linemen.  They find saving by only employing cheap RBs.

But if they deviate from this plan, something’s gotta give.

Cowboys: The Repercussions of Drafting Elliott

If the Cowboys now decide to invest heavily in the RB position by drafting Ezekiel Elliott, they will need to make some tough decisions regarding their offensive line for the sake of their economic well-being down the road.

Can the Cowboys afford to pay three All-Pros and still re-sign a potential All-Pro in Zeke Elliott? Probably not. What about re-signing La’el Collins? No way. Collins has two years remaining on his deal and appears like he could even be a Pro Bowler himself by that time.

Unless, of course, they intend completely ignore the defense and play shoot-out football for the next decade, the Cowboys will not be able to keep all of their offensive linemen AND Ezekiel Elliott under their second contracts and through their primes.

Cowboys: Top Draft Picks Must be Re-Signed

We’ve discussed before how important it is to re-sign 1^st and 2^nd round draft picks. If properly appraised on draft day, those are the players expected to be franchise building blocks. A successful franchise churns the bottom of the roster but keeps the top as stable as possible. You simply cannot afford to draft a player in the first round and allow him to depart in free agency.

If he walks because he’s not good enough, you have evaluation issues. And if he walks because you just can’t afford him, you have financial management issues. No matter how you slice it, it means bad things if you let your premium draft picks walk away in free agency.

But that’s what may happen if the Cowboys draft Ezekiel Elliott.

Heck, the Cowboys can’t afford to invest much more on offense already, for that matter. The offense is already set to dominate payroll and the defense is the area severely lacking the skill needed to be considered anything close to “contenders”.

Next: Win Now Means Draft Ezekiel Elliott Now

Ezekiel Elliott looks like a phenomenal draft pick this April but the Cowboys have already committed to a plan which makes the finances of such a move a poison pill for the future. That may sound like the end of the discussion but it’s far from it.

Tomorrow we will make the case FOR drafting Ezekiel Elliott.