Wednesday's NFL: Cowboys to release 2-time rushing champ Elliott
The Dallas Cowboys plan to release running back Ezekiel Elliott, ending a seven-season run for a two-time rushing champion whose dominance faded, a person with knowledge of the decision said Wednesday.
Elliott will be designated a post-June 1 cut, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the decision hasn't been announced. The move will save Dallas about $11 million under the salary cap this season.
While Elliott finished with 12 rushing touchdowns in a second consecutive playoff season for the Cowboys in 2022, his overall production never matched the value of a $90 million, six-year extension he signed to end a preseason-long holdout in 2019.
As the quick start to Elliott’s career fizzled, 2019 fourth-round draft pick Tony Pollard emerged as the best playmaker for quarterback Dak Prescott in the Dallas offense. The Cowboys have placed the $10.1 million franchise tag on Pollard.
Elliott has 8,262 career yards rushing, third on the Dallas list behind Pro Football Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith, the NFL's career leading rusher, and Tony Dorsett.
Elliott was an instant star as the fourth overall pick out of Ohio State in 2016, leading the NFL with 1,631 yards as a rookie and helping the Cowboys to the top seed in the NFC alongside fellow first-year sensation Prescott, who edged his teammate for 2016 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Elliott’s second season was interrupted by a six-game suspension over domestic violence allegations. Elliott fought the ban in federal court, but abandoned the two-month effort 10 games into the 2017 season.
Despite the suspension, Elliott still led the league in yards rushing per game, then added a second rushing title in 2018 when he and Prescott won their first playoff game together, a wild-card victory over Seattle.
Injuries slowed Elliott somewhat in his final two seasons, although he rarely missed games. He had career lows of 876 yards and a 3.8-yard average per carry last season.
Panthers add free agent RB Sanders, TE Hurst to offense
Charlotte, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers added two significant offensive weapons to help out their incoming rookie quarterback.
The Panthers announced Wednesday they agreed to terms with forner Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders and former Cincinnati Bengals tight end Hayden Hurst, both unrestricted free agents.
Sanders ran for 1,126 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl. He has run for 3,708 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns in his first four seasons in the league, all with Philadelphia.
He also has the ability to be a valuable receiver, catching 50 passes for 509 yards and three touchdowns his rookie season.
A former second-round draft pick, Sanders will be reunited with former Detroit Lions assistant coach Duce Staley, the Panthers' recently hired running backs coach who previously worked with him in Philadelphia.
The decision to add Sanders could mean the team is ready to move on free agent running back D’Onta Foreman, who played well after Christian McCaffrey was traded to San Francisco.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Hurst was a first-round draft pick in 2018 who spent last season with the Bengals and caught 52 passes for 414 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught 13 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown in three postseason games with Cincinnati.
Before Cincinnati, the 29-year-old Hurst spent two seasons apiece in Baltimore and Atlanta. His best season came in 2020 when he caught 56 passes for 571 yards and six touchdowns for the Falcons.
Safety Jordan Poyer agrees to 2-year deal to stay with Bills
Orchard Park, N.Y. — Safety Jordan Poyer has elected to stay put by reaching a two-year agreement to re-sign with the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday after briefly testing free agency.
Poyer’s return immediately solidifies Buffalo’s secondary, which stood to lose a key leader and contributor who spent much of the previous six seasons forming one of the NFL’s top safety tandems in playing alongside Micah Hyde.
And it comes at a time with the Bills defense in transition following starting middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds’ expected departure in free agency, and with coordinator Leslie Frazier choosing to take next season off from coaching.
The agreement represents a key free agency victory for the three-time defending AFC East champion Bills, who entered the signing period with a limited amount of salary cap space. Buffalo was projected to have about $20 million to work with after spending the past few days freeing up more than $40 million in space by restructuring the contracts of quarterback Josh Allen, edge rusher Von Miller, receiver Stefon Diggs and signing linebacker Matt Milano to a two-year contract extension.
The 31-year-old Poyer has 10 years of NFL experience, and blossomed as a player upon joining the Bills in free agency in March 2017, after spending his previous three-plus seasons in Cleveland.
He’s a two-time second-team All-Pro (2017 and 2021), and Poyer’s 22 interceptions since 2017 rank fifth in the NFL. He is also the league’s only player to be credited with 500 or more tackles, have 20 interceptions and 10 sacks over that span.
Poyer is coming off a season in which he showed his resilience and perseverance despite being unhappy with the team’s failure to extend the final year of his contract. He played through a variety of injuries, including finishing the season with torn knee cartilage.
In October, Poyer agreed to make the 14-hour drive to play in Buffalo’s 24-20 win at Kansas City after he was prevented from flying because of the aftereffects of a collapsed lung.
Despite missing four games to injury, Poyer still finished the season leading the Bills with four interceptions and was sixth with 63 tackles.
Buccaneers, Baker Mayfield agree on 1-year deal
Tampa, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have agreed on an $8.5 million, one-year contract with quarterback Baker Mayfield, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Wednesday because signings can’t be announced until the league year officially starts at 4 p.m. EDT.
Mayfield, the No. 1 overall pick by Cleveland in 2018, joins his third team since last July. He gets an opportunity to compete with Kyle Trask to replace Tom Brady, who retired after three seasons with the Buccaneers.
Mayfield was 1-5 as a starter last season in Carolina before he was released. He joined the Los Angeles Rams and went 1-3 in four starts.
Mayfield’s best season was 2020 when he led the Browns to an 11-5 record and a playoff win over the rival Steelers. Mayfield threw for 3,563 yards with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions that season.
Personnel dept.
... The Patriots made their first big pickup of free agency, adding free agent receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. He confirmed the move in a post on Twitter saying he was “excited for my next chapter in New England.”
A person with knowledge of the deal said it is for three years and could be worth as much as $33 million. The person spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because it hasn’t been announced.
A Pro Bowler in 2018 with Pittsburgh. Smith-Schuster’s addition to the Patriots roster comes a day after they lost Jakobi Meyers after he agreed to a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. Smith-Schuster won a Super Bowl with Kansas City last season, finishing with 78 receptions for 933 yards and three touchdowns.
... The Philadelphia Eagles and six-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Fletcher Cox have agreed on a $10 million, one-year contract.
Cox has 65 sacks in 11 seasons, including seven in 2022 for the league’s No. 2 ranked defense. Keeping Cox helps the NFC champion Eagles offset the loss of defensive tackle Javon Hargrave in free agency.
... The Washington Commanders have agreed to terms with quarterback Jacoby Brissett on a one-year contract worth $10 million with $8 million guaranteed.
Brissett threw for 12 touchdowns and six interceptions last season while starting for the Cleveland Browns during Deshaun Watson's suspension.
... The Minnesota Vikings have agreed to terms with former Arizona cornerback Byron Murphy. Murphy will get a two-year deal worth about $22 million.
The 25-year-old replaced Patrick Peterson in the Cardinals lineup in 2021 when Peterson joined the Vikings. Now the 2019 second-round draft pick will take over for Peterson again. Peterson departed for Pittsburgh. Murphy was limited to nine games in 2022. He was hampered by a back injury.