3 Cowboys Playing Their Final December in Dallas

3. Ezekiel Elliott, running back

The time has come for the Dallas Cowboys to officially say goodbye to a franchise legend. Ezekiel Elliott already said his goodbyes to the Cowboys after the 2022 season but the Cowboys brought him back in 2024 when they were strapped for cap space and apparently starving for a little bit of nostalgia.

Not to discredit anything Rico Dowdle has done, because he's run hard and has back-to-back games with over 100 yards rushing, but the fact that Dowdle has been so much more productive than Elliott is a bit staggering considering what we knew about both guys coming into this season.

But Dowdle has proven himself to be worthy of a spot in the rotation in 2025 if not the favorite to be Dallas's lead back. What has Elliott proven? Unfortunately, he's proven that 2024 might be the end of the line, even for him to be contributing in a platoon.

Since the start of November, Elliott has just 44 yards rushing on 13 carries. He's been borderline irrelevant in this offense for over a month. The Cowboys had to go the financially responsible route at running back after letting go of Tony Pollard in free agency, but they are going to make upgrades in the backfield this offseason.

The Cowboys are currently being penciled in as one of the most likely destinations for Boise State superstar and Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty. And even if Dallas doesn't go with a running back in round one, they'll be set up well to snag someone like Iowa's Kaleb Johnson on Day 2 of the draft.

One thing we know for sure -- Ezekiel Elliott's time with the franchise has come to a definite end as of the 2024 season.

In other Cowboys news: