ESPN's Stephen A. Smith supports Ezekiel Elliott to the Bengals
A report from ESPN's Adam Schefter regarding Ezekiel Elliott has had ripple effects for the NFL world. Elliott's camp leaked what's essentially a wishlist of teams he'd like to play for. Included amongst the final three teams is the Cincinnati Bengals. Does it make sense? Stephen A. Smith seems to think so. Elliott will not […]
A report from ESPN's Adam Schefter regarding Ezekiel Elliott has had ripple effects for the NFL world.
Elliott's camp leaked what's essentially a wishlist of teams he'd like to play for. Included amongst the final three teams is the Cincinnati Bengals.
Does it make sense? Stephen A. Smith seems to think so.
Elliott will not be commanding a starter's role or a starter's paycheck as a running back anymore, making him an ideal fit as the Bengals' new third-down tailback.
Providing a boost in the short-yardage department is precisely what Smith believes Elliott would bring to the Queen City.
"Ezekiel Elliott should be in Cincinnati," Stephen A said on ESPN. "The fact of the the matter is all the help you can get into running backs spot, the better off you are. If you're Ezekiel Elliott, you want to go someplace where they got an elite passing attack, and they definitely need some help at the running back spot in terms of short yardage situation or those spurts that you're talking about, but they don't necessarily need you to carry a load."
The Bengals did struggle to run the ball early on last season, but finished as the third-most efficient rushing attack in terms of EPA/play after Week 5. Elliott wouldn't be relied on so much as a runner as he would a pass-protector on obviously passing downs.
That said, Elliott still has value gaining short yardage at 27-years old, and the return to Ohio to play with Joe Burrow and Sam Hubbard again can't be ignored completely.
It's up to the Bengals at this point to reach out to Elliott and get a deal done, which is far from a certainty.
