Ezekiel Elliott appears to have a new home.
The Los Angeles Chargers signed Elliott to their practice squad ahead of the wild card round on the weekend, multiple reports said Monday.
The #Chargers are signing RB Zeke Elliott to their practice squad, source said, with the hope that the former #Cowboys back gets up to speed quickly. pic.twitter.com/LPj9t4oBtu
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 7, 2025
Elliott, the 2016 No. 4 overall pick, was waived by the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 31 so he could join a playoff team.
“Out of respect and appreciation for Zeke and wanting to provide him with an opportunity to pursue any potential playoff participation possible, we are releasing him from the Cowboys roster today," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said in a statement after the release. "As I have said many times previously, Zeke’s impact as one of the greatest to ever play with the Star on their helmet will never change and is etched in our record books and history forever. We thank him, love him and wish him the absolute best.”
The Ohio State product was a two-time league rushing leader (2016, 2018) and a one-time First-Team All-Pro selection in 2016. But after his fourth 1,000-yard-plus rushing season in 2021, Elliott regressed.
He had a one-year stint with the New England Patriots in 2023 before returning to Dallas this season, primarily in a backup role. He rushed 74 times for 226 yards (3.1 average) and logged three touchdowns.
NFL
The Chargers, the No. 5 seed in the AFC, will be at the Houston Texans in the first round of the playoffs.
Los Angeles also has J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards and Hassan Haskins on its running back depth chart, with the former being the main star despite some injury setbacks. Dobbins played in 13 games this season and still ran for 905 yards and nine touchdowns.
