Ezekiel Elliott Rumors: Eagles, Jets, Bengals Eyed by Former Cowboys RB in FA

Veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott is reportedly eyeing the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals in free agency, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

According to John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Elliott "wants to play for the Eagles." However, per Clark, the Eagles have not had talks with Elliott at this point:

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Elliott is not weighing contract offers from the Eagles, Jets and Bengals. Of note, Schefter reported Elliott was aiming to make a decision by the end of next week.

Elliott, 27, was released by the Dallas Cowboys last week after seven seasons with the team.

Elliott's release saved the Cowboys about $11 million on the 2023 salary cap, per Nick Eatman of the team's website, an easier decision after the team utilized the franchise tag to keep Tony Pollard, who rushed for 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns and was a Pro Bowler.

His since-released backfield mate was a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro who rushed for over 1,000 yards four times and at least 800 yards every year of his professional career.

In 2022 he tallied 876 yards on the ground and 12 scores, adding 17 catches for 92 yards.

All three of his reported finalists would make some sense. The Eagles lost Miles Sanders to free agency, as he signed with the Carolina Panthers, though they did add the talented but oft-injured Rashaad Penny.

A trio of Elliott, Penny and Kenneth Gainwell would give the Birds a well-rounded backfield.

The Jets backfield will be headlined by Breece Hall, though he's recovering from a torn ACL that cut short his rookie season. Having a veteran option such as Elliott would cover the Jets if Hall's recovery costs him time, but he would also allow the team to avoid overworking the young talent.

The Bengals are the most curious of the bunch, with Joe Mixon entrenched as the franchise back. When healthy, Mixon is a safe bet to rush for over 1,000 yards, having done so three times in his career, though he missed three games this past season and 10 games in 2020 because of injuries.

So Elliott would give the Bengals insurance and allow them to deploy a physical, one-two rushing attack.