Dez Bryant defends Ezekiel Elliott against claims Cowboys running back has 'very little left in his legs'

Former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant took advantage of Twitter’s expanded character limit on Tuesday to defend his former teammate Ezekiel Elliott. Bryant’s defiant response was to a Q&A column by The Athletic‘s Bob Sturm who claims analysts and scouts “all agree” the former first-round pick has “very little left” in his legs.

“How can all scouts and analysts agree to this?” Bryant tweeted. “Zeke ain’t gotta tell me shit for me to know he was sacrificing his unhealed body to give the cowboys the best chance to win games playing whatever role… but if you going to talk about his game declining make sure you talk about how badly injured he was… make it make sense…

“Everybody will eventually take a step back but nowhere near how they are trying to make zeke look… keep your mental tight zeke.”

How can all scouts and analysts agree to this?…. Zeke ain’t gotta tell me shit for me to know he was sacrificing his un healed body to give the cowboys the best chance to win games playing whatever role… but if you going to talk about his game declining make sure you talk about… https://t.co/Dt16jtfW0e

— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) February 22, 2023

Sturm argues that Elliott’s price on the open market is so low that he’d have a hard time finding a deal for much more than the league minimum. Sturm compared the 2016 draft pick to Eddie Lacy, among countless other running backs who’ve posted 1,000+ yard seasons only to drop off due to injuries and age.

“I think the answer is that given the number of analysts and scouts I have talked to about Elliott this year and the consensus opinion is in stone. He has very little left in his legs and the word is out. I believe he has one option for employment above the league minimum and it is right here in Dallas. I could be wrong, but if I am, it is a very low number. Maybe one year for $2 million or $2.5 million which is a far cry from what he is used to.”

Although that’s a harsh take for the running back, it’s not bad for Dallas when it comes time to negotiate.

Elliott still has another year left on his Cowboys contract but with a $16.7 million cap hit coming in 2023 and his declined production in 2022, there’s undoubtedly some cost-benefit analysis to do for Jerry Jones and Co.

Agents to ‘figure out’ Elliott’s value at Scouting Combine

The best-case scenario is the former Buckeye agreeing to whatever pay cut the Cowboys need to get under the salary cap. However, if he refuses, there is another option.

Dallas could cut Elliott, even though he remains as one of the faces of the franchise, in order to save $11 million, but only after June 1.

As Elliott prepares to take a potential pay cut for the 2023 season, his agents are getting ready to do some digging on the running back’s current value.

According to ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter, Elliott’s agents want to “figure out his value to other teams” at the Scouting Combine.

The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine begins on Feb. 28 in Indianapolis and extends through March 6.

Although it is technically tampering for NFL teams to engage in discussions about players, it is considered the norm – as long as it’s kept under wraps.

As for Elliott’s agents, it’s common practice for them to gather as much information as possible before sitting down for negotiations.

The 2022 season was Elliott’s first as the team’s second-leading rusher since he went No. 4 overall in 2016. Tony Pollard, a former fourth-round pick, had nearly 40 carries fewer than his fellow RB this year, but had over 1,000 yards and 5.2 YPC, compared to Elliott’s 3.8.