Apr 29, 2024, 11:56 ET
The veteran running back accepted a contract to return to Dallas after playing last season with the Patriots
FRISCO — Ezekiel Elliott agreed to a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys worth a maximum of $3 million, sources told ESPN on Monday, meeting with the franchise that drafted him with the fourth overall pick in the draft. of 2016.
Ezekiel Elliott and his agent Rocky Arceneaux met with the Cowboys before last week’s draft and eventually ended up at the same restaurant, Dee Lincoln Prime, where the team was having its dinner with scouts before the draft.
“Well, Zeke, as we all know, is one of our favorites,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Thursday. “He’s given everything for this franchise. He’s a great competitor. I mean, he’s a guy we obviously think a lot about.”
Ezekiel Elliott is third all-time among Dallas Cowboys running backs. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez
Having lost leading rusher Tony Pollard in free agency to the Tennessee Titans, the Cowboys are considering taking a committee approach at the running back position. Dallas re-signed last year’s backup Rico Dowdle and added veteran Royce Freeman in free agency. The Cowboys also have Deuce Vaughn, last year’s sixth-round pick, Malik Davis and Hunter Luepke on the roster.
The return of Ezekiel Elliott brings to mind Herschel Walker’s second stint with the Cowboys. Walker was the Cowboys’ leading rusher from 1986 to 1989 before his famous trade to the Minnesota Vikings that helped Dallas become a multi-time Super Bowl champion in the 1990s under head coach Jimmy Johnson. He returned to the Cowboys in 1996, seeing action behind Emmitt Smith while he was the primary kick returner.
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The Cowboys did not select a running back in the draft, despite their lack of depth at the position on the current roster. Dallas considered drafting a running back in the third round, but opted for linebacker Marist Liufau instead. Without a fourth-round pick, the Cowboys saw 12 running backs drafted from the time they took Liufau (No. 87 overall) to the fifth-round pick at No. 174.
Even if the Cowboys had drafted a running back, they were still going to add Ezekiel Elliott, who was a cap casualty on Dallas’ roster last year before eventually signing with the New England Patriots.
Ezekiel Elliott played 51 percent of the offensive snaps and, running behind a patchwork offensive line, finished with 184 carries for 642 yards (3.5 yards per attempt average) with three touchdowns. He also had 51 receptions for 313 yards (6.1 average) and two touchdowns.
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Ezekiel Elliott, who turns 29 in July, saw a significant increase in his workload in the final five weeks of the year after leading running back Rhamondre Stevenson was sidelined with a sprained ankle.
However, the Cowboys will not ask Ezekiel Elliott to be the dominant running back he was during much of his first stint with Dallas that allowed him to rank as the third-best running back in franchise history behind Hall of Famer , Emmitt Smith, and Tony Dorsett.
From 2016 to 2022 with the Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 8,262 yards. The three-time Pro Bowler set team rookie records with 1,631 yards and recorded 30 100-yard games during his time with the Cowboys. He also led the NFL in rushing yards in 2016 and 2018, but hasn’t broken the 1,000-yard barrier since 2020 (1,002).
2024-04-29 15:56:00
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