FRISCO, Texas >> The Cowboys released running back Ezekiel Elliott on Tuesday, a quiet end to a Dallas career that started with two rushing titles in three seasons but faded quickly from there.

The move was the end of Elliott’s second stint with the team that drafted him fourth overall in 2016. The Cowboys dumped him in a cost-cutting move after the 2022 season.

This time, Elliott’s release could give the 29-year-old a chance to be a late add for a playoff team looking for veteran help at running back.

The same thing happened last season with four-time Pro Bowler Dalvin Cook, who was cut by the New York Jets and played for Baltimore in a wild-card win. Cook is on Dallas’ practice squad right now.

“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,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones said. “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.”

Elliott spent one season in New England before returning to the Cowboys on a one-year deal, the club hoping there might be something left in a player who averaged 1,351 yards per season and 97 yards per game his first four seasons.

Instead, Elliott never really challenged fifth-year player Rico Dowdle for the role of lead back, and Dowdle went on to become the franchise’s first undrafted running back to rush for 1,000 yards.

Kelce wins fan ballot

Travis Kelce led all players in fan balloting for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ star tight end finished with 252,200 votes. Kelce’s relationship with Taylor Swift has significantly increased his popularity.

Kelce, a four-time All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowl pick, has 97 catches for 823 yards and three touchdowns this season. He’s third behind Raiders rookie Brock Bowers (108) and Arizona’s Trey McBride (101) for most receptions among tight ends.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (250,082 votes) ranked second overall behind Kelce, ahead of Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley, who is 101 yards away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record.

Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels (242,352), Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (239,526) and Lions quarterback Jared Goff (225,858) rounded out the top five.

The AFC and NFC rosters will be announced on Thursday.

Elbow ‘on fire’

Brock Purdy hurt his surgically repaired throwing elbow late in a loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday night, the latest blow in an injury-plagued season for the San Francisco 49ers.

The injury came in the final two minutes of a 40-34 loss for San Francisco when Brian Branch brought down Purdy with a sack on a blitz. Purdy rolled over as he fell to the ground and his right elbow went right into the face mask of defensive lineman Pat O’Connor.

Purdy said his elbow was initially “on fire” and he will need to undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.

“It doesn’t feel the best,” he said. “But it doesn’t feel that bad, so we’ll see tomorrow.”

City threatens Browns

The Cleveland Browns’ push to move out of the city and play in a proposed domed stadium has encountered a new road block.

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb sent a letter to owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam, saying the city intends to invoke the “Modell Law” to prevent them from leaving the Browns’ current lakefront stadium. The lease expires in 2028.

Bibb said he wants a response from the Browns by Jan. 9 and to comply or the city will “take appropriate legal action,” the letter states.

The Modell Law was passed in 1996 after former Browns owner Art Modell moved the franchise to Baltimore. It states that no owner of a professional sports team in Ohio playing in a tax-supported stadium can go elsewhere without an agreement with the city in which it plays or unless that city is given six months’ advance notice with an opportunity to buy the team.