Before Ezekiel Elliott could sign with another team, the Dallas Cowboys let him go. Since then, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been mentioned as a possible destination.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ summer has thus far been certainly not horrible, despite how dire things seemed to be going into it.
The team unexpectedly re-signed great cornerback Jamel Dean, and it followed that up by also re-signing Lavonte David. The addition of Baker Mayfield, who will battle with Kyle Trask for the starting quarterback job, makes the Buccaneers’ offseason, which was expected to be quiet, noisy, and productive, more interesting.
It seems that the crew is still working.
Prior to the start of free agency, the Dallas Cowboys released running back Ezekiel Elliott on Wednesday, placing a well-known name and a top back on the market. Zeke is reportedly a goal for the front office staff, despite the fact that we were trained to think the Buccaneers wouldn’t be major spenders this winter.
Elliott was mentioned by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, who claimed that the Buccaneers would likely be interested.
In 2023, may Ezekiel Elliott play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
On the surface, it appears a little unusual, but after removing some of the layers, it makes sense. To begin with, the Bucs replaced Dave Canales in this role by hiring former Dallas Cowboys running backs coach Skip Peete in the summer. That was already a significant hire for the Buccaneers because Peete helped Dallas’ backfield become one of the league’s best last season, so the team is hoping he can come in and improve one of the worst.
It has more of an impact than some people realize. Both managers and players enjoy relying on the players they know. Canales, a rookie coordinator who spent more than a decade working under Pete Carroll, isn’t going to sabotage his first meaningful chance to further his career. Relying on Peete to improve the running game would be a huge plus for both of them, and the quickest way to do so could be to bring in someone Peete already knows and who solves half the problem before it ever starts.
There’s also a fit in Tampa Bay; we shouldn’t keep talking ourselves into this.
When Leonard Fournette was fired as part of the Buccaneers’ salary-reduction plan, a small gap appeared in the depth chart. The RB1 position will be filled by Rachael White next season, although he doesn’t have the same size as Leonard Fournette and isn’t as much of a smashmouth runner.
After Fournette was fired, Elliott could easily fill the void and take Fournette’s old job.
Ezekiel is a great pass blocker who would help whoever is the starting quarterback this season. He would also be a good replacement for Fournette as a strong running back and a leader in the locker room.
There is a chance Zeke Elliott ends up in Tampa Bay for the upcoming season; however, other teams will be interested, and the Bucs still need to be judicious with their spending this offseason.