Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy addresses elephant in the room in Ezekiel Elliott situation - “Business, that’s real”

When the Dallas Cowboys released Ezekiel Elliott earlier in the offseason, it was clear that it was all about the salary cap. Elliott wasn't playing as an elite running back anymore and the team saved a lot of money by letting him go.

But that doesn't mean that it was an easy decision. Elliott gave plenty of happy moments for the fans, especially in the beginning of his career. Although his wear started to become clear in the last two years, it's never easy to see a player like him leaving the team.

With the OTAs happening this week, head coach Mike McCarthy did not run away from the question about whether the team did enough to replace his presence in the locker room:

“I don’t think you just go out and replace Zeke," said Mike. "I’ve never viewed it that way. Business, cap economics, that’s real. You make decisions and sometimes the decisions definitely factor in the next decision or two that’s coming down the road. We were just doing short yardage and goal line last night and he just jumps off the tape."

Mike added:

"This really isn’t about replacing Zeke. It’s really about opportunities for the young guys. Tony’s opportunity to be the lead back. We’re just getting all those guys ready. Deuce is the new guy. It’s been cool to see him implemented into the things we’ve been doing here the last week. The group will look different because his presence is not there any more.”

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Ezekiel Elliott release: Cowboys were right to let him go

Keeping Zeke in the books would be impossible after what happened to his production in the last two years. Not only he suffered a major decline, but Dallas also found themselves a real good running back in Tony Pollard, who received the franchise tag and will receive $10 million in the 2023 season.

In 2022, Zeke averaged 3.8 yards-per-carry, just a fraction of the excellent 5.1 yards-per-carry he had during his rookie year in 2016. It's common to see running backs losing their legs quickly in the league, and as the situation proves, this happens even to the elite ones.

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How many 100-yard rushing games does Ezekiel Elliott have in the NFL?

Elliott has some incredible 30 games with at least 100 rushing yards in his career.

Two of these games happened during the playoffs: in 2016, against the Green Bay Packers in a 34-31 loss, and in 2018, in a 24-22 win over the Seattle Seahawks.