Not long ago, it seemed like the Jets would likely be signing free-agent running back Dalvin Cook. He went to the trouble of coming to Florham Park to watch a training camp practice and everything. But his interest in New York isn’t reportedly very high, so New York is staying engaged in other areas of the running back market. That brings us to former Dallas Cowboy, Ezekiel Elliott.
Here’s what Jeff Howe of The Athletic recently wrote about Elliott’s situation:
The Patriots have remained highly interested in Ezekiel Elliott, and the Cowboys are also in the mix to re-sign the 28-year-old, according to league sources. The New York Jets have also been in on Elliott.
The Jets have shown heavy interest in Dalvin Cook, but there haven’t been any recent developments on that, according to a league source. The Patriots, who had some peripheral interest in Cook, are now almost certainly not going in that direction, according to a league source.
This report doesn’t necessarily make it sound like the Jets are hot on Elliott’s tail. But then again, they’re not not keeping tabs on him.
We’ll soon find out how important New York feels it is to sign another running back. After his visit to training camp, it seemed as if Cook might’ve been using the Jets for some good old-fashioned leverage to sign elsewhere. But that also hasn’t happened yet.
The top two guys on the Jets’ current running back depth chart include Breece Hall (who is on the PUP list) and Michael Carter. New York has been hopeful for Hall to be ready to roll by Week 1 after suffering an ACL injury last year. But that’s no sure thing, which is probably why they’re sniffing around the remaining running-back market.
In 15 games played last season, Elliott racked up 874 yards on 231 carries with 12 touchdowns. That sussed out to a career-low 3.8 yards per attempt. He was also less involved in Dallas’ passing attack than ever before, catching 17 of 23 targets for 92 yards and no touchdowns.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
