3 Dallas Cowboys starters who could soon be surprise cuts

Dallas Cowboys cut No. 2: Ezekiel Elliott, RB

For years Ezekiel Elliott has been the face of the franchise. The Dallas Cowboys first pick in the 2016 draft helped usher in a new era in Dallas. Over the past seven years Elliott has been a workhorse for the Cowboys offense.

He’s been the latest and greatest runner in Dallas’ storied history of bell cow RBs. In an age where no one pays running backs big money, Stephen Jones shocked the world when he re-signed Zeke two years before he had to. He made Zeke one of the highest paid RBs in the NFL. Even today, years after signing that new deal, Zeke ranks as the third highest paid RB on the market.

Which is why he may be facing the chopping block.

Zeke loves the Dallas Cowboys. The Dallas Cowboys love them some Zeke. But at his current price point of $18.2M, he’s become dreadfully overpaid and far too expensive to keep around.

Complicating matters is the uncertain status of Tony Pollard. This past season Pollard solidified his status as the better RB in Dallas. While Zeke may be able to carry a slightly heavier workload or offer slightly better play in pass protection (although even that quality of his has been overrated recently), he’s slower, less elusive and produces less yards after contact than the explosive Pollard.

All things considered, Pollard offers the more special skill set and most of what Zeke does well can be replaced with a replacement level (moderately priced) player.