Mike McCarthy Reacts To The Cowboys Cutting Ezekiel Elliott

Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys will finish the 2024 season without Ezekiel Elliott.

On Tuesday, the Cowboys cut the veteran running back before their Week 18 game against the Washington Commanders. Elliott can try to sign with a playoff team after clearing waivers.

While the timing may have initially confused some fans, Elliott requested his release to pursue a chance to keep playing after this Sunday. McCarthy told reporters Wednesday that Elliott "earned this opportunity" after all he accomplished with the Cowboys.

"It was a conversation, and he asked for an opportunity to move forward," McCarthy said, per Cowboys.com's Patrik Walker. "And I think that's clearly what's in front of him."

After spending a year with the New England Patriots, Elliott returned to a Cowboys team that lost Pro Bowl running back Tony Pollard in free agency. Elliott averaged 276 touches per season when playing for McCarthy from 2020 to 2022, but his role evaporated in 2024.

Elliott turned 74 carries and 15 targets into 295 yards and three touchdowns. The 29-year-old played just 42 snaps in his last five games.

Meanwhile, McCarthy leaned more on Rico Dowdle as the season progressed. Dowdle has 519 rushing yards on 101 handoffs in those same five games and cleared 1,000 yards for the season last Sunday.

"I think if you just go through the season, we started this journey looking to be a running back by committee, and Rico clearly took the lead position," McCarthy said. "And he's ended up having a pretty productive year."