6 Cowboys Who Won't Be Back in 2025
By Cem Yolbulan
3. Ezekiel Elliott
No Cowboys fans will object to this one. One of the only significant offseason additions for the Cowboys has failed to make an impact so far this season. Not only is Ezekiel Elliott having the worst season of his career, averaging 3.1 yards per carry, but he has also been involved in off-field drama.
Zeke was reportedly unhappy with his role on the team, approaching the coaching staff about it. He was later disciplined by the team for his habitual tardiness and skipping meetings. He was a healthy scratch for the first time this season in Week 9.
The Cowboys' running back rotation is a mess but it's clear that Elliott is not the solution. His production has been going down for the past three seasons and there is no reason to think that it will get better as he hits 30 years old.
Elliott will likely not see much of a run for the rest of the season and it's safe to say that his days in Dallas are numbered.
4. Trey Lance
Transitioning from one disappointing acquisition to another, Trey Lance is another perfect candidate to be gone in the 2025 offseason. Despite the fact that the team shockingly gave up a fourth-round pick in a trade for him, Lance has yet to make his Cowboys debut.
In the offseason, the Cowboys declined Lance's fifth-year option, making him a free agent after this season. The former No. 3 overall pick had a chance to establish himself as the primary backup behind Prescott but had an inconsistent performance. Most notably, he threw five interceptions in the preseason loss against the Chargers, raising questions about his viability in the NFL.
Now that Prescott is out with a hamstring injury, Lance is still not being trusted by the coaching staff. Cooper Rush is expected to start going forward, leaving fans wondering why the team gave up so much draft capital for Lance and kept him on the 53-man roster in the first place.
Considering how little faith the organization seems to have in Lance, it's hard to imagine Jerry Jones making an effort to keep him around for much longer.