Cowboys Urged to Pursue UCLA Standout as Ezekiel Elliott Replacement

Getty Owner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys are looking for their Ezekiel Elliott replacement, which could come in the form of UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet.

Charbonnet is one of the top running back prospects in the draft after a strong career at Michigan and UCLA, rushing for 3,346 yards and 39 touchdowns over four seasons between the two schools.

And Charbonnet isn’t expected to go until the middle rounds, which would allow the Cowboys to address other needs with their higher picks. The former Bruin was pitched as an option for Dallas by Bleacher Report.

“Plenty of Dallas Cowboys fans are undoubtedly dreaming of seeing Texas running back Bijan Robinson in silver and blue. But unless the Cowboys trade up, Robinson will probably be long gone by pick No. 26,” B/R’s Gary Davenport wrote. “However, that doesn’t mean the Cowboys shouldn’t add a complement to Tony Pollard. With all due respect to Ronald Jones, he ain’t that guy. Zach Charbonnet, on the other hand, could be the “thunder” to pair with Pollard’s ‘lightning.'”

Charbonnet Touted for ‘Hammer’ Ability

Elliott did not have a great season last year, especially by his lofty standards. He rushed for a career-low 876 yards and 3.8 yards per carry. But where Elliott excelled was in short-yardage situations, finding the end zone 12 times.

Charbonnet ran a 4.53 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and did 18 bench press reps. He comes in at 6-foot, 214 pounds and was praised by NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein for his physical running style. Here’s Zierlein’s breakdown on Charbonnet:

“Upright runner with outstanding body composition and consecutive seasons of impressive production for the Bruins. Charbonnet is a bit of a long-strider with slightly below average foot quickness. He is much more effective when allowed to open up and build downhill momentum. He can slip tackles in the open field but lacks the first-level wiggle to get too cute. He’s inconsistent in processing defensive fronts quickly but can be a hammer into and through contact when he has a clear point of entry. Charbonnet is a talented third-down option as both a blocker and pass-catcher. He could be viewed as a Day 2 value with three-down potential.”

Ezekiel Elliott Reunion Not Out of the Question

The Cowboys could look to the combine to replace Elliott but also haven’t completely slammed the door on the former rushing leader returning to Dallas, where he has played his entire career.

“Well, that was on the table, and you might say to some degree that hasn’t changed and won’t until he signs someplace else,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said at the NFL annual meeting in Arizona. “I don’t want to leave him hanging, our fans hanging, or anybody, but I wouldn’t take any possibility off the table.”

Elliott put out a wish list of teams he’d like to play for, which included the Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets. Outside of that, there hasn’t been a ton of reported traction for Elliott on the free agent market.

Prior to his release, Elliott was set to count $16.7 million against the salary cap with a $10.9 million non-guaranteed base salary. By releasing him, the Cowboys saved nearly $11 million against the cap. If he agreed to come back on a smaller deal, there’s no doubt he’d be embraced.