Ezekiel Elliott will be returning to the Dallas Cowboys. The team’s No. 1 running back from 2016 through 2022 signed a one-year deal with Dallas after playing last season with the New England Patriots, the team announced Tuesday.
The reunion became a likely scenario when Elliott and his agent Rocky Arceneaux met with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and executive vice president Stephen Jones a week ago at The Star.
“Zeke, as we all know, is one of our favorites,” Stephen Jones said last week. “He’s laid it on the line for this franchise. He’s the ultimate competitor and we obviously think a lot of him.”
He’s back for seconds #FeedZeke 🍽️#DallasCowboys | @blockchain pic.twitter.com/DYdd2R3rJL
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) April 30, 2024
Despite the Cowboys badly needing help at running back after last season’s leading rusher Tony Pollard departed in free agency, Dallas did not select a running back with one of its eight picks in last weekend’s draft.
Jerry Jones spoke highly of Elliott after the third round ended Friday night, telling a group of reporters that he saw Elliott play last season in New England, “and I’ll tell you, he’s good enough to be a starter” this season.
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Jones specifically liked the way Elliott finished the season for the Patriots. Elliott ran for 54 yards on 13 carries and caught five passes for 27 yards in their season finale against the New York Jets. However, in 17 games (five starts), Elliott rushed for 642 yards and three touchdowns on 184 carries.
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Elliott’s yard-per-carry average has steadily decreased throughout his career, going from 5.1 as a rookie in 2016 to 4.5 in 2019, 4.0 in 2020, 4.2 in 2021, 3.8 in 2022 and 3.5 last season.
He is now expected to compete for carries in a running back room that includes Rico Dowdle, Malik Davis, recently signed veteran Royce Freeman, Deuce Vaughn, fullback Hunter Luepke, Snoop Conner and recently signed undrafted free agent Nathaniel Peat.
Elliott rushed for 8,262 yards and 68 touchdowns on 1,881 carries during his previous seven seasons in Dallas. Only Emmitt Smith (17,162) and Tony Dorsett (12,036) have rushed for more yards in franchise history. Elliott made three Pro Bowls and led the league in rushing in 2016 and 2018.
“He’s a positive influence at all times,” Jerry Jones said Saturday night after the draft. “Not one time, even in maybe some critical times, has he been anything but a positive and a winning influence as a person and a teammate of the Dallas Cowboys. That’s a big plus that he has. He’s a lift. He’s outstanding in that area.
“The bottom line is that he’s a positive. He’s a positive. I think he would potentially be positive for this team.”
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(Photo: Brian Fluharty / USA Today)