Bengals coach Zac Taylor comments on Ezekiel Elliott report

Since his release from the Dallas Cowboys, free agent running back Ezekiel Elliott has kept his head down. However, a report on Thursday linking the former first-rounder to either the Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals or New York Jets quickly put Elliott back in the headlines.

Although further reporting revealed that the list of teams was more of a wish than a verified indication of where the former Buckeye may land for the 2023 season, the initial report was enough to warrant comment from the teams involved.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor responded to the report at an event where he was giving the keynote address.

“There’s a lot of great players that are available right now,” Taylor said Thursday night, via Mike Dyer. “We like our team as where it’s at right now. But it’s always funny when things get thrown around. Sometimes, it’s the first you hear of it. But that’s just the way life works.”

Although Taylor’s comments seemed to shut down that lane for Elliott, there’s heavy interest from another team’s players in landing him for next season. Numerous Eagles players started recruiting Elliott to Philadelphia after the initial report.

Darius Slay and Lane Johnson sent out tweets and tagged Elliott, asking him to consider Philadelphia. If it works, the Eagles could bolster their running back room.

With Miles Sanders off to the Carolina Panthers, the Eagles signed Rashaad Penny to join Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell. But Elliott seems to be wanted by players regardless.

The Jets running backs were not as pleased by the reports of Elliott potentially joining the crew. Breece Hall tweeted then deleted at backup Michael Carter, “I think we good over here @8kMike hbu [how ‘bout you]?” with a yawn emoji.  

Elliott requests No. 15 jersey

Elliott has been mostly radio silent since the Dallas Cowboys released him last week after seven seasons with the team. He broke that silence on Thursday with a Tweet.

His first message was not an ode to his time in Dallas, but instead, a request, perhaps aimed at the team planning to pick up the new free agent for the 2023 season.

“I want my #15 back,” Elliott tweeted on Thursday afternoon. The former No. 21 for the Cowboys used to wear the No. 15 when he was the star running back for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

While in the 15 jersey with the Buckeyes, Elliott ran for 1,878 and 1,821 yards in 2014 and 2015, respectively. He also tallied a whopping 41 rushing touchdowns in that two-year span.

Elliott also posted on his Instagram story on Thursday, showing off an on-field workout with trainer Josh Hicks in Southlake, Texas.

After his tweet, Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill responded to the running back, telling him to join the Chiefs – his former squad. Unfortunately, the Chiefs already have a No. 15 on offense, one Mr. Patrick Mahomes.