The Dallas Cowboys are in somewhat of a limbo until the whole Ezekiel Elliott suspension situation is worked out. There’s no way of knowing right now if he will have to serve his entire six-game suspension to start the season, which means there is some uncertainty at the running back position. That uncertainty could cause the Cowboys to consider taking a look at former Philadelphia Eagles RB Ryan Mathews, but will they?
It really wasn’t all that surprising the Philadelphia Eagles decided to part ways with Ryan Matthews. There simply wasn’t enough room on the roster anymore for the often injured RB, which made them cut ties with the former first-round draft pick on Tuesday afternoon.
Source: The #Eagles have informed former starting RB Ryan Mathews, who passed his physical earlier today, that he's been released.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 15, 2017
Despite his rash of injuries throughout his NFL career, Ryan Matthews still possesses the talent to be in every down RB in the NFL. With the exception of Ezekiel Elliott, I’m not sure that’s the case for the other RBs on the Cowboys roster.
Darren McFadden was 1,000 yard rusher with the Dallas Cowboys back in 2015, but like Matthews, he has also struggled with injuries throughout his career. McFadden is the favorite right now to take over if Elliott indeed does have to miss some time while serving a suspension, but he’s not the same player as he once was.
Unfortunately, Alfred Morris isn’t the same player he once was either. His yards per carry have continued to drop each year and if not for the uncertainty about Elliott’s availability, he likely would have been released or traded. It looks like he will stick around for now though until the Cowboys find out more about Zeke Elliott’s availability to start season.
So, you can see why there might be some interest in bringing in Ryan Matthews, but at this point I think they will stick with what they currently have on the roster.
Ryan Matthews may be an upgrade over both McFadden and Morris (when healthy), but with the uncertainty still hanging around Ezekiel Elliott, it’s hard to believe they bring in anymore RBs right now. Of course, Matthews could become more of a consideration once everyone knows for sure of the kind of suspension, if any, Elliott faces in 2017.
I personally wouldn’t get my hopes up for the Dallas Cowboys showing any interest in Ryan Matthews or any other running back for that matter until Ezekiel Elliott’s fate for the upcoming season is known. Even then, they may prefer their current options over anyone else who may become available.
No I like what we have.