After rejecting multiple RBs in the free agency and failing to fill the position in the draft, the Cowboys are back to where they were two years ago. At the same time, fans are not on board with Ezekiel Elliot’s return to Dallas, since the $9 million set aside for him could have been used to sign King Henry.
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Jerry Jones had a chance to sign Derrick Henry as a free agent and the player was also willing to come to Arlington. However, the deal eventually fell through as Jones deemed it too expensive. Subsequently, Henry signed a 2-year $16 million contract with the Ravens, while the Cowboys will start the new season with Zeke in their backfield.
The Titans finished poorly last season, but Henry again managed to accumulate 1167 yards on only 280 carries and added 12 Touchdowns. On the other hand, Ezekiel Elliot didn’t even come close to the 1000-yard mark. In 17 games which included just 5 starts, he had 642 yards on 184 carries and just 3 TDs. The difference lies in their yards per carry, which was 4.2 for Henry while Zeke’s was measly 3.5.
As per ON3, the Cowboys are giving Zeke a one-year $3 million contract, with $ 2 million in guaranteed money. However, considering he played for only 1 year in New England, they would still have to pay him $6 million from his previous contract. So that’s a total of $9 million for a single year.
Jerry Jones will have to pay $55 million and $30 million to Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb respectively next season. Hence, his being unwilling to pay $9 million a year for a quality back who can get over 1500 yards behind a strong Offensive Line, shows how far the position of RB has fallen.
Average Running Back Salary in NFL 2024
Ezekiel Elliot might be making just $9 million in 2023, but his new contract still hovers above the league average for running backs which in the 2024 season will be $2,275,801. Most rushers account for only 2-4% of the team’s salary cap. The NFL’s best rushers take significantly more than that, though it is still less than the best receivers and QBs.
As per Spotrac, Christian McCaffrey takes home $16.015 million which is by far the highest salary in the league for any rusher. On the other hand, Kamara signed a 5-year $75 million contract with the Saints, which sees him earn $15 million every year. Meanwhile, the Colts will be paying Jonathan Taylor $14 million annually for the next season, while the Eagles’ newly signed rusher Saquon Barkley will be getting $12 million this year.
Derrick Henry too will be earning $8 million from the Ravens and considering the impact he will make from that backfield, the Cowboys have missed out on a great opportunity. In fact, the Cowboys have missed out on several opportunities this year as they failed to get Barkley and only managed to sign one player in free agency. Besides, even though they filled holes in their O-Line and D-Line through the draft, they failed to get more weapons for Dak.
Unfortunately, the Cowboys have also delayed contract negotiations as Dak, Lamb, and Parsons are yet to get an extension. From the looks of it, time is running out for the team and they might end up negotiating for more than the market value. Hence, even though the Cowboys pipped out the Eagles for the division, it seems that the narrative will change next season.
