Guess who’s back with the Boys???
Sure, he may have lost a step or three, but Cowboy fans are thrilled that beloved running back Ezekiel Elliott is coming back home.
Set to rejoin Dallas on a one-year deal, Zeke will once again don the famous Star he wore for seven years after being drafted by the Cowboys fourth-overall back in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Elliott and his agent, Rocky Arceneaux, recently engaged in discussions with the Cowboys ahead of last week’s draft.
Interestingly, the meeting culminated in an impromptu encounter at Dee Lincoln Prime, where the Cowboys’ scouting dinner was taking place.
“Well, Zeke, as we all know, is one of our favorites,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said last week.
“He’s laid it on the line for this franchise. He’s the ultimate competitor. I mean, he’s a guy that we obviously think a lot of.”
With the departure of Tony Pollard, the Cowboys sought to bolster their running back corps, opting for a committee approach.
The team re-signed Rico Dowdle, acquired veteran Royce Freeman in free agency, and has promising talents like Deuce Vaughn, Malik Davis, and Hunter Luepke on the roster.
Elliott’s return evokes memories of Herschel Walker’s second tenure with the Cowboys.
Walker, a pivotal figure in the team’s success in the 1990s, returned to Dallas in 1996, contributing behind Emmitt Smith while also excelling as the lead kickoff returner.
Despite the need for depth at running back, the Cowboys refrained from selecting one in the draft, opting for linebacker Marist Liufau in the third round.
“I think a lot of times there is a question of, ‘Will you really, really stick to your board?’ It just felt like every time the situation was there for us to make a pick and do the right thing, it wasn’t at running back,” Jones stated at the draft’s conclusion.
“We had running backs, and we’d be thinking, ‘OK, our pick is coming in 10 picks; eight picks; five picks away,’ then he might be taken … We obviously had a group of running backs there in that space where I think there were 75-85 players that we had to watch leave the board. We had a handful of backs that we would have considered, but it just didn’t work out.”
Even if the Cowboys had pursued a running back in the draft, Elliott’s return was always in the cards.
The once-heralded running back, who turns 29 in July, experienced a resurgence in his workload last season in New England, particularly after Rhamondre Stevenson’s injury.
(Although, it was quite clear that he’s no longer the explosive weapon he once was…)
Notably, Elliott’s initial stint with the Cowboys saw him rush for 8,262 yards and 68 touchdowns, establishing himself as one of the team’s all-time greats.
In what has been a disappointing and uneventful offseason thus far, Zeke’s return is a slight ray of sunshine for Cowboy fans – even if it’s more so nostalgia than anything.
What are your thoughts on Zeke’s return to Dallas?
How much does he truly have left in the tank? … Him returning to the Cowboys is a great story and all, but is he completely washed-up?
In the bigger picture, how do you think the Boys will do this season???