Cowboys reunite with Ezekiel Elliott in free agency after losing Tony Pollard

What helped Ezekiel Elliott decide to return to Cowboys in free agency?

Elliott had been linked to the Cowboys ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, and after they didn’t use any of their eight picks on a running back, it only further heated up the rumors of a potential reunion between the two sides. Sure enough, with the draft in the rearview mirror now, Dallas made a more aggressive push for their former superstar running back, and it was enough to get him to return to town.

After enjoying a strong 2023 campaign in the New England Patriots moribound offense (184 CAR, 642 YDS, 3 TD, 51 REC, 313 YDS, 2 TD), Elliott had a handful of suitors that were pursuing him. However, his desire to further strengthen his Cowboys legacy, and a pair of meetings with Jerry and Stephen Jones, helped this deal cross the finish line.

Elliott had become a beloved figure with the Cowboys over his first seven years with them, and fans still loved him even though his time with the team came to an unexpected sour end. However, he gets a chance to further add to his legacy with the team, and based on his one-emoji tweet shortly after the initial news broke, it seems like he’s excited to get to work.

Prior to the 2023 campaign, it seemed like Elliott was running out of steam, which resulted in him taking a complementary role behind Rhamondre Stevenson in New England’s offense. But with Stevenson missing five games due to injury and struggling to produce when he was on the field, Elliott took on a bigger role in the offense, and showed flashes of his old self in the process.

The Cowboys still have Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, and Royce Freeman on their roster, but none of those guys really fit the lead running back role. Both Dowdle and Vaughn will probably get some run on the field, but they will likely be operating behind Elliott, who proved he can still handle a big workload last season with New England.

Fans are surely pumped to see Elliott make a return to town, especially considering how big the departure of Pollard was for this team. He won’t put up the massive numbers we became accustomed to seeing from him earlier in his career, but if he can simply hold his own on the ground and give Dak Prescott another option in the passing game, he will be doing precisely what the team is looking for from him.