After a disappointing 2024 season, the Dallas Cowboys have righted their wrongs with a strong offseason performance. Between hiring head coach Brian Schottenheimer, a terrific 2025 NFL draft performance, and acquiring standout wideout George Pickens, all signs point to the Cowboys challenging for a playoff spot next season.
After holding their annual rookie minicamp last week, the next stop on the Cowboys' offseason journey is this year's organized team activities (OTAs), which will begin on Monday, May 19. After that, it won't be long before Dallas fans have a good idea of what the roster will look like heading into training camp.
OTAs being around the corner is exciting, but it can also mean bad news for unemployed veteran players. The next few weeks are the last chance for free agents to find opportunities before training camps, and failing to do so could leave them on the outside looking in next season.
Former Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott Could Retire if He Isn't Signed Before OTAs
It wouldn't be shocking if former Dallas Cowboys Ezekiel Elliott hangs up his cleats sooner rather than later based on how his offseason is unfolding.
Once one of the NFL's top running backs, Elliott's 2024 performance proved that he's a shell of his former self. A return to the team that drafted him couldn't help the former 2016 fourth-overall pick, as the aging Cowboy finished his ninth season with career lows in carries (74) and rushing yards (226), along with a personal-worst 59.6 run grade on Pro Football Focus.
With the playoffs not being a possibility, the Cowboys released Elliott in December to let him join a postseason-bound team. It took him about a week to sign with the Los Angeles Chargers, but that opportunity didn't amount to much as the Chargers left him on the practice squad in Week 18 and during their lone playoff outing.
If that wasn't bad enough, Elliott also logged the fewest yards per carry (3.1) in his career so far, marking the third consecutive season that number declined. His production's direction isn't all that shocking, though, given that ex-Ohio State Buckeye will be turning 30 years old in July — the time when most once-elite RBs experience a major drop-off.
Having said that, it's hard to imagine Elliott getting any worse than he was last season. Father Time is undefeated, though, which is why there haven't been any teams willing to roll the dice on one more season.
If this is the end of Elliott's career, he has nothing to be ashamed of. He'd be retiring third among the Cowboys' all-time rushing leaders when it comes to carries (1,955), yards (8,488), and touchdowns (71), and that's without mentioning his over $75.9 million in career earnings, per Spotrac.
As sad as it'd be to see Elliott walk away from football, it's hard to imagine his staying away from AT&T Stadium for too long. Jerry Jones loves his former players and likely has a coaching or front-office job already waiting for him, along with an eventual Ring of Honor induction.