Dallas Cowboys: Should the Cowboys trade Ezekiel Elliott?

Now that Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is holding out for a contract extension, would Jerry Jones do the unthinkable and get rid of him?

The Dallas Cowboys find themselves in a familiar position sitting front and center with headlines galore filled with drama. Cowboys’ fans can enjoy their favorite team winning games as much as tuning in to witness the next saga about to take place.

But the drama unfolding for the Cowboys is not the type of drama Cowboys Nation wants to see, especially when its dealing with the Cowboys best offensive weapon. The Cowboys best offensive weapon is All Pro, two-time, NFL rushing leader Ezekiel Elliott.

Basically, Zeke is the straw that stirs the drink on the Cowboys offense. But with Zeke holding out, and if Jerry doesn’t give in to Zeke’s demands, then the Cowboys will have to find a way to win without Zeke.

However, I have a more serious question to ask. A question I’ve heard floated around with Cowboys’ fans.

Should the Cowboys trade Zeke?

Hey, don’t look at me like that. Anything is possible!

I know a lot of fans think its a crazy question to ask but I’ve heard Cowboys’ fans and experts alike suggest it. Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports Radio and Fox Sports 1 believes Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones should trade Zeke and get a boat load of draft picks in return.

Cowherd is not the only sports analysts that feels that way. Notorious Cowboys hater Stephen A. Smith of ESPN’s First Take believes Dallas should not pay Zeke anything because of his off the field behavior more so than trading him.

Even if Jerry doesn’t pay Zeke, it goes back to my original question. Should Dallas trade Zeke?

Full disclaimer, I don’t think Dallas should trade Zeke. Jerry should made Zeke the highest paid running back in the league because he’s simply the best  

However, if Jerry cannot reach an agreement with Zeke and he decides not to play, then trading Zeke would definitely be an option for Jerry. If that happens then Jerry has two options:

1. trade for a younger running back like Duke Johnson of the Cleveland Browns
2. or trade Zeke straight up and get a boatload of draft picks for the ultra-talented back.

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Dallas has one of the youngest and best teams in the league with the opportunity to win a Super Bowl now. With talent on both sides of the ball, Dallas needs Zeke in the foil to make this a reality.

But on the other hand, if Zeke decides to pull a Le’Veon Bell and miss the entire season, will Dallas go with veteran running back Alfred Morris and a platoon of rookies to lead the rushing attack? How far will that take them?

I wrote an article about how Dallas can win a few games without Zeke, but not go all the way and win the Super Bowl. This offense is loaded with weapons, but it needs Zeke to win it all.

Jerry is a proud man, an egotistical one at that. We all remember how Jerry balked at paying Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith his money back in 1993-after Emmitt helped lead Dallas to a Super Bowl victory over the Buffalo Bills and was the NFL’s leading rusher.

After losing their first two games of the 1993 season, Jerry caved in and paid the NFL’s All Time rushing leader-paving the way for Dallas to win its second consecutive Super Bowl.

Jerry can ill afford not to pay Zeke, but maybe Jerry will cave in once more and pay Zeke like he paid Emmitt 26 years ago.  Because trading Zeke should not be an option.

• Published on 08/02/2019 at 12:30 PM
• Last updated at 08/02/2019 at 07:44 AM