It feels like a lifetime ago. 2016. A crop-top jersey, a "feed me" hand gesture, and a rookie running back who looked like he was built in a lab to destroy linebackers. Ezekiel Elliott didn't just play for the Dallas Cowboys; for a good four or five years, he was the Dallas Cowboys. He was the identity of a franchise that usually prides itself on glitz and glamour, yet here was this dude from Ohio State just bludgeoning people in the trenches.
But football moves fast. Fast.
One day you're the highest-paid back in league history, and the next, you're a "salary cap casualty" or a veteran looking for a practice squad spot to keep the dream alive. Honestly, the way people talk about Zeke now is kinda wild. They focus so much on the "washed" narrative that they forget just how high the peak was.
The Rise of the Sledgehammer
When Jerry Jones took Zeke with the 4th overall pick in 2016, the "analytics" crowd lost their minds. You don't take a running back that high. You just don't. But then the season started.
Zeke put up 1,631 rushing yards as a rookie.
He didn't just lead the league; he dominated it. He had 15 touchdowns and averaged over five yards a carry. He made the Pro Bowl and First-team All-Pro as a 21-year-old. He was the perfect engine for an offense that had a rookie Dak Prescott under center. If Dak was the poise, Zeke was the power.
You've probably heard the stats before, but let’s look at the sheer workload. Between 2016 and 2019, the guy was a machine. He led the league in rushing yards per game in each of his first three seasons. Think about that. Even with a six-game suspension in 2017, he almost cracked 1,000 yards.
💡 You might also like: Navy Notre Dame Football: Why This Rivalry Still Hits Different
What Most People Get Wrong About the Decline
There’s this idea that Zeke just "fell off a cliff." People point to the $90 million extension he signed in 2019 as the moment the Cowboys' front office made a fatal error.
Sure, the contract was massive. Maybe too massive. But the "decline" wasn't just about Zeke losing a step. It was about the mileage. Between college and his first five NFL seasons, the man was essentially a crash test dummy for the Cowboys' offensive ambitions. He was the best pass-blocking running back in the league—a skill that doesn't show up on a fantasy football scoreboard but keeps your franchise QB from getting his ribs cracked.
Basically, Zeke did the dirty work.
By 2021, he was playing through a torn PCL. Most players would have sat out. Zeke? He played all 17 games. He still managed 1,002 yards that year. Was he explosive? No. But he was reliable. That reliability is exactly why the Cowboys struggled so much to replace his "short-yardage" presence once he was gone.
The Reality of Ezekiel Elliott in 2024 and Beyond
When the Cowboys released him after the 2022 season, it felt like the end of an era. Then came the New England detour. Seeing Zeke in a Patriots jersey felt... wrong. Like seeing a classic muscle car with a beige paint job. He wasn't the focal point anymore, but he led the Patriots in rushing yards (642) and receptions (51) in 2023. He was essentially their entire offense at points.
Then the homecoming happened.
📖 Related: LeBron James Without Beard: Why the King Rarely Goes Clean Shaven Anymore
The 2024 return to Dallas was supposed to be the storybook ending. Fans wanted the old Zeke. What they got was a 29-year-old veteran on a one-year, $2 million deal. He wasn't the "bell cow" anymore. He was splitting carries with Rico Dowdle. By late December 2024, the Cowboys waived him again. It was a quiet, almost sad ending to his second stint in Arlington.
The Chargers Chapter and the 2026 Landscape
As we sit here in 2026, the league's view of Zeke is starkly different from the fan view.
After being released by Dallas, Zeke landed with the Los Angeles Chargers' practice squad for their 2024 playoff run. It made sense. Jim Harbaugh loves physical football. Zeke, even at this stage, provides that. He’s the guy you bring in on 3rd-and-1 when you need three yards of "cloud of dust" to move the chains.
His career earnings have surpassed $75 million. He’s got over 9,000 career rushing yards.
Is he going to the Hall of Fame? It's a debate that gets heated. His peak was as good as anyone's, but the longevity of "elite" play is the question.
Why He Still Matters
We tend to discard veteran players the second their 40-yard dash time drops by a tenth of a second. But Ezekiel Elliott represents a dying breed. He’s a "complete" back. He catches. He blocks. He knows where the blitz is coming from before the snap.
👉 See also: When is Georgia's next game: The 2026 Bulldog schedule and what to expect
Young players in 2026 should be watching his tape—not just the 2016 highlights where he's hurdling defenders, but the 2021-2024 tape. Watch how he handles pass protection. Watch how he finishes runs.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're tracking Zeke's legacy or looking at how the running back position has evolved, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Longevity over Efficiency: Don't just look at Yards Per Carry (YPC). Look at "Success Rate." Even when Zeke's YPC dropped to the 3.5 range, his ability to convert short-yardage situations remained elite for years.
- The Contract Precedent: The 2019 $90M extension is now a case study for every NFL GM. It’s the reason why guys like Saquon Barkley or Jonathan Taylor had such a hard time getting their second big deals. Zeke’s career trajectory literally changed the economics of the NFL.
- The "Pass Pro" Factor: If you want to understand why coaches kept Zeke on the field even when he looked "slow," look at the sack numbers when he was out. He was a third offensive tackle.
Zeke might not be the guy leapfrogging people anymore, but you can't tell the story of the modern Dallas Cowboys without him. He was the soul of that team for nearly a decade. Whether he’s wearing a star on his helmet or grinding out yards for a contender on a veteran minimum deal, the respect for what he put his body through is universal in NFL circles.
Keep an eye on the 2026 season's veteran transitions; players with Zeke's specific "toolbox" of blocking and short-yardage power are becoming increasingly rare as the league moves toward smaller, "space-player" backs.
To truly understand Zeke's impact, look back at the 2016 season opener against the Giants and compare it to his 2023 Week 14 performance with New England. The speed changed, but the "dog" in him never did.
Next Steps for You:
If you want to see the specific impact of the 2019 contract on the current NFL salary cap, I can break down the "Dead Money" figures the Cowboys had to navigate after his release. Or, if you're interested in his Hall of Fame case, I can pull up the "Gold Jacket" metrics to see how his stats stack up against current inductees like Edgerrin James or Terrell Davis.