FRISCO, Texas — Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys in 2024? Believe it or not, it is certainly a possibility, as reported in mid-March, but it appears the rubber is not only meeting the road for a possible reunion, but also picking up a bit of speed on the turnpike leading into the 2024 NFL Draft.
Elliott's representatives formally met with the Cowboys at the team's headquarters on Wednesday — a little more than 24 hours from the start of this year's draft in Detroit.
Granted, the Cowboys recently signed Royce Freeman in the weeks that followed the departure of Tony Pollard to the Tennessee Titans in free agency, but there was no sense that the addition of Freeman would preclude the Cowboys from being in the market to likely add yet another veteran at the position after the draft.
There was, is and will continue to be a very real possibility that it's Elliott, despite the re-signing of Rico Dowdle this spring to a one-year deal.
In speaking with executive vice president and director of player personnel Stephen Jones following the televised pre-draft press conference on Tuesday, it was clear the door was not shut at running back.
"No, [because] we want a lot of competition there," said Jones.
Elliott was a record-setting former two-time All-Pro for the Cowboys in his prime, a former fourth-overall pick in 2016 that went on to garner two NFL rushing titles, three Pro Bowls and 8,262 rushing yards (third-most in franchise history) and 68 touchdowns (also third-most in franchise history) — behind only Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett — achieving the feats in only seven seasons.
He also averaged 4.4 yards per carry with the Cowboys (third-most, as well) and 80.2 yards per game (also third-most).
Though he may not still be at that level of play, there is plenty of evidence that he can still be what the Cowboys need in 2024: a durable veteran with knowledge of the entire offense, the quarterback and head coach, and with a bully-ball mentality that was sorely missed by the organization last season.
Elliott spent his lone season away from the Cowboys, thus far, with the New England Patriots, where he finished the 2023 campaign wearing No. 15 and producing an impressive 965 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns in only five starts.
That amounts to only 13 fewer scrimmage yards than his previous season spent with the Cowboys, in nine fewer starts — speaking to his ability to still produce and to be efficient with his touches at 28 years old.
A deal is not imminent at this moment, but the vehicle that connects the two sides isn't sitting in its parking space any longer, either.
