Browns have no interest in Ezekiel Elliott, nor should they

In a statement that should shock no one, Mary Kay Cabot says the Cleveland Browns are considering adding another running back but Ezekiel Elliott is not in contention.

Elliott was once one of the best running backs in the NFL but over the past couple of seasons, his effectivness has been trending in the wrong direction. That's why the Dallas Cowboys released him this offseason — and why teams have shown next to no interest in adding him to their rosters.

Cleveland has the luxury of turning to Nick Chubb, who is currently one of the best — if not the best — backs in the league today. He's fresh off a 1,525-yard and 12 touchdown campaign which was his best season as a pro.

However, the Browns are thin behind him with Jerome Ford set to be the No. 2 running back. Ford, who has just eight career rushing attempts, has the faith of the coaching staff but there are no clear-cut favorites to be the third back.

This has led to fans clamoring for Elliott, who was a star for the Ohio State Buckeyes. But if we take off the scarlet and gray glasses, we can see that adding Elliott would do nothing to help the franchise.

Elliott enters 2023 on the heels of a very misleading 12-touchdown campaign. The truth is, Tony Pollard did all the heavy-lifting but in an effort to justify his comically enlarged contract, the Cowboys force-fed Elliott the ball in premium situations — including near the goal line.

He finished with a total of 876 yards but had a career-low in yards per attempt (3.8) and yards per game (58.4). Making matters worse, he apparently still believes he's the guy who ran for 1,631 yards back in 2016.

This was evident when Skip Peete, his old running back coach in Dallas, essentially said that Elliott won't be a No. 1 back — nor will he be paid like one — and won't find a job until he realizes this. Peete, who is now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, made these statements not long after rumors surfaced he and Elliott could reunite in Tampa.

So not only would Elliott's talent be an issue but he would still like more money than his skill level warrants. On top of that, he seems to think he should be the Alpha, which means he wouldn't be thrilled sitting behind Chubb.

For all those reasons, it makes sense that Cleveland would prefer to look elsewhere.

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