Tag: Ezekiel Elliott

Did the Cowboys overcorrect in their devaluation of the RB position?

The Cowboys have one of the lowest rated and lowest paid RB rooms in the NFL. Did they jump on the wave to the extreme? | From @ReidDHanson

After years of overvaluing the running back position the Cowboys have appeared to finally grasp that a committee can be every bit as productive as a workhorse, but at a fraction of the price.

It seemed the Cowboys finally caught up to what the analytics community had been preaching for years; RBs are replaceable parts and rarely worth second contracts. But Dallas took that sentiment to an entirely different level. They ignored the RB position entirely in the draft and have unofficially dubbed Rico Dowdle the next starting RB.

It wasn’t long ago Ezekeil Elliott was the highest paid RB in the NFL. Elliott cashed in at a time the rest of the league was cashing out. Dallas came to regret the six-year, $90 million extension when signs of decline showed up even before the new money kicked in.

In 2023, the Cowboys finally had their opportunity to get out from under Elliott’s contract, releasing him outright and turning the page of an era in Dallas.

Still not quite grasping the true value of the RB position the Cowboys franchise tagged Tony Pollard to take over the lead role in 2024. Recovering from a postseason injury suffered just months prior, Pollard took a while to get going. He eventually hit his stride but overall, it was a disappointing campaign given his expectations and lofty one-year salary.

Again, the Cowboys adjusted.

In 2024 they allowed Pollard to leave virtually unopposed. And despite the free agent RB class being one of the best in years, Dallas refused to throw their hat in the ring, eventually settling on journeyman Royce Freeman on a thrifty one-year, $1,292,500 deal.

The Cowboys have since brought Elliott back into the fold.

After a 642-yard campaign in New England, Elliott has returned to the franchise that drafted him. He’s no longer expected to be the player he once was, but as a steady and well-rounded veteran, he’s someone who can fill a number of roles in a committee.

The RB position has reached peak devaluation levels in Dallas. The Cowboys took a hard pass at the top players in free agency and skipped the position altogether in the draft. Unless a last-minute trade is made this summer, they’re prepared to roll into the new season with a fairly pedestrian committee.

Have the Cowboys taken the devaluation of the RB position too far?

Only time will tell. Their lack of attention paid to the position have caused even the biggest RB detractors to furrow their brow at the situation. Neither Dowdle nor Elliott posted positive rushing yards over expected. As such, it’s probably on the Cowboys offensive line to make this rag-tag committee successful.

The offensive line is undergoing a renovation this season with two of the five starting spots undergoing change. To make things even more tenuous, the front-runners at those two spots are both rookies. A serviceable running game is all anyone should expect, given the situation.

Perhaps that’s all the Cowboys want. Since building a dominant running game is costly and typically a poor use of resources, perhaps serviceable is exactly what Dallas wants for the team this season.

The Cowboys have come a long way in their handling of the RB situation over the past couple years and while the direction they’re moving is a wise one, the extent that they’ve gone may prove to be unwise.

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2024 Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule: Running Backs

How will the strength of fantasy schedule impact RBs in 2024?

Schedule strength for running backs considers both rushing and receiving yards as today’s players rarely rely on just running production anymore. The analysis also considers the venue. There is a difference between how defenses respond either home or away, which creates 64 “different defensive matchups” depending on where the game is played.

Also see: Quarterbacks |Receivers

The scoring was a point for every 10 yards rushing or receiving, six-point touchdowns, and a point per reception. The average fantasy points allowed to running backs are at the bottom of this page for reference. Running backs prove to be most sensitive to schedule strength of any position.

Total Points

Below are the total points for each backfield according to their schedule using the averages allowed in 2023 by those defenses.

PHI LAR WAS SEA LAC DEN TEN MIA NE MIN TB
368 363 360 360 360 360 353 353 351 350 350
NO CLE BAL NYJ PIT CHI NYG JAC HOU CAR
349 349 348 347 346 345 345 344 342 342
KC BUF DET LV CIN GB ATL IND ARI DAL SF
341 340 339 337 336 335 333 332 328 327 325

 

 

 

Weekly Play

Three different views are below. Week 1 to 17 is the full-season fantasy strength of schedule. “The Dorey Rule” says to draft by considering the first six weeks for a hot start. Finally, Weeks 15 to 17 represent the most common fantasy playoff weeks. “Good” games against a Top-22 venue from last year; “Bad” was when they played in one of the Bottom-22.

Week 1-17 SOS Good Bad First 6 SOS Good Bad Playoffs SOS Good Bad
TEN 4 7 3 CLE 3 3 0 PHI 3 3 0
LAR 3 6 3 NYG 3 4 1 MIN 3 3 0
WAS 2 6 4 SEA 3 4 1 ATL 2 2 0
JAC 2 5 3 TEN 2 3 1 JAC 2 2 0
CLE 2 6 4 CHI 2 3 1 TEN 2 2 0
CHI 2 7 5 HOU 2 3 1 DEN 1 2 1
DEN 1 5 4 MIA 2 3 1 IND 1 1 0
LAC 1 7 6 LV 1 2 1 LAC 1 2 1
NYG 1 7 6 PIT 1 2 1 NE 1 1 0
HOU 1 6 5 LAR 1 2 1 SEA 1 1 0
MIA 1 6 5 JAC 0 1 1 TB 1 2 1
SEA 1 6 5 CAR 0 1 1 GB 1 1 0
PIT 0 5 5 MIN 0 1 1 KC 1 1 0
NE 0 5 5 TB 0 2 2 NO 1 2 1
PHI 0 6 6 DEN 0 2 2 CAR 0 1 1
CAR 0 4 4 KC 0 2 2 HOU 0 1 1
MIN 0 5 5 LAC 0 2 2 CHI 0 1 1
BAL 0 6 6 NE 0 2 2 CIN 0 1 1
BUF 0 5 5 SF 0 2 2 NYG -1 1 2
NYJ 0 6 6 WAS 0 2 2 PIT -1 0 1
DET 0 6 6 BUF -1 0 1 BAL -1 0 1
TB -1 5 6 BAL -1 2 3 BUF -1 1 2
ATL -1 4 5 GB -1 1 2 LAR -1 0 1
IND -1 4 5 DET -1 2 3 LV -1 0 1
GB -1 3 4 CIN -2 1 3 MIA -1 0 1
NO -2 5 7 NO -2 1 3 NYJ -1 0 1
KC -2 4 6 DAL -2 1 3 WAS -1 0 1
CIN -3 4 7 IND -2 1 3 CLE -1 1 2
DAL -3 4 7 PHI -3 0 3 DAL -2 0 2
ARI -3 5 8 ARI -3 1 4 DET -2 0 2
SF -3 5 8 NYJ -3 1 4 ARI -3 0 3
LV -4 3 7 ATL -4 0 4 SF -3 0 3

 

Best schedule strength

Tyjae Spears/Tony Pollard (TEN) – The schedule is less important than installing an entirely different offensive scheme, but it is a factor. Especially when the Titans own the most advantageous set of opponents in the NFL based from last year’s stats, the O-line is still a work in progress, and the passing effort should be more productive than it has for many years. There should be fewer carries than in recent seasons, but either Tyjae Spears or Tony Pollard could surprise – if they can earn the bigger share in this committee approach post-Derrick Henry.

Kyren Williams/Blake Corum (LAR) – Kyren Williams took over in his second season and starting in Week 12, was as good as any fantasy running back in 2023. Now, he enjoys one of the best schedules with just three bad venues and a solid six best venues. It should propel Williams to being an elite back again this year, but the addition of  Blake Corum potentially muddies the waters with a committee approach of some measure. But Williams’ injury history could mean Corum gets at least a few games to himself.

Austin Ekeler/Brian Robinson Jr. (WAS) – This is another situation where the offense will be all new, and the O-line is a concern. There will also be a committee involving Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson. However, the Commanders benefit from one of the lighter slates of opponents, and the backfield should profit with four of the final five fantasy games being at home. A Week 14 bye won’t help teams in large contests for their playoffs.

Travis Etienne (JAC) – The schedule is better than most, but not hugely advantageous. Facing two good venues and no bad ones during fantasy playoffs is a plus for the player who ended as the No. 3 fantasy running back last year on a team that did not bother to get any new help for the backfield.

Worst schedule strength

Zamir White/Alexander Mattison (LV) – The Raiders are installing a new offense with OC Luke Getsy from Chicago, and they lost Josh Jacobs. The addition of Alexander Mattison to the backfield isn’t encouraging and Zamir White enters his third season with a spotty resume. Throw in an NFL-worst schedule for fantasy backs and the attraction is even less. Starting in Week 6, the Raiders face seven bad venues and only one light matchup.

Christian McCaffrey (SF) – Certainly, if any back is better than his schedule, it would be Christian McCaffrey. There’s no denying how productive he is when healthy and helped many fantasy teams reach their playoffs. The 49ers get three bad venues for the fantasy playoff weeks, but McCaffrey tends to just turn into a receiver when needed.

James Conner/Trey Benson (ARI) – Conner comes off his career-best season, but he turns 30 next year, and the Cardinals snapped up the second overall running back in the NFL draft when they picked Trey Benson. It will be a committee that will most likely evolve as the season progresses and Conner always misses three or four games. Their schedule works against them with an NFL-worst eight games played at toughest venues. And it works out poorly when they start out with almost nothing but bad matchups for the first half of the season, then brighten up with four of the next five games against easier opponents. And then, back to facing three tough defenses to end their fantasy year.

Ezekiel Elliott/Rico Dowdle (DAL) – The largest concern is the quality of rushers – an aging Ezekiel Elliott is back and paired with Rico Dowdle. There’s a chance that the Cowboys will find someone, anyone, after the final cutdown, but they only get four games in easier venues and seven with the tougher opponents.

Zack Moss (CIN) – The Bengals let Joe Mixon leave for the Texans and replaced him with Zack Moss, who has never been better than the No. 31 fantasy back. Chase Brown will figure in and the backfield looks less appealing for 2024 when the schedule works against them. Their final five games after the Week 12 bye include three tough matchups and just one softer opponent in Week 17.

2024 weekly grid  

Fantasy points allowed per game 

These are the values from 2023 that were applied to this year’s schedule to determine strength of schedule for running backs.

DEN @ARI CAR LVR WAS @SEA IND NYJ MIA SEA @WAS NYG CIN GB @IND CHI
33.9 31.9 31.2 28.3 27.8 27.6 27.4 26.9 25.4 25.3 25.0 24.9 24.8 24.7 24.6 24.4
DAL @PIT TEN @NE @LAC @CHI ARI @JAC @BUF @NYJ @BAL LAC CLE HOU JAC @NYG
24.3 24.0 24.0 23.9 23.8 23.7 23.6 23.3 23.2 22.9 22.5 22.5 21.8 21.7 21.5 21.1
@KC SF @DEN MIN PHI @LVR @NO @PHI @HOU @MIN NO BUF @ATL PIT ATL @CAR
21.0 20.8 20.7 20.2 20.1 19.7 19.6 19.5 19.4 19.2 19.2 19.0 18.9 18.6 18.4 18.4
@LAR TB @GB @CLE @CIN KC BAL @TB @SF DET @DET NE LAR @TEN @DAL @MIA
18.3 18.3 18.2 18.0 18.0 17.6 17.4 16.8 16.2 15.9 15.6 15.4 15.0 14.1 13.6 13.5

 

New Orleans Saints game previews: Week 2 at Dallas Cowboys

Our New Orleans Saints game previews continue with Week 2, which brings a huge test against the Dallas Cowboys. Can the Saints upset a Super Bowl contender?

Our New Orleans Saints game previews continue with Week 2 of the 2024 regular season, which brings a huge test against the Dallas Cowboys. Can the Saints upset a Super Bowl contender? Or are the Cowboys really just pretenders? Mike McCarthy’s team has yet to get over the hump in January, but Dennis Allen’s squad hasn’t even gotten that far.

Either way, they’re a challenging opponent. Dallas has a better record at home (.778) than anyone else in the NFL since 2021, including the playoffs. They’ve made the playoffs in each of the last three years. It would mean a lot for the Saints to stroll into Jerry Jones’ palace and leave with a win.

And it’s been a while since the Saints won in Dallas. The Cowboys haven’t lost to the black and gold in front of their home crowd since 2012, when the Saints won by a field goal in overtime. They’ve traded wins and losses since then but Dallas still leads the all-time series by a margin of 18-13. The Cowboys were also victorious in their last meeting; they beat the Saints 27-17 in New Orleans back in 2021. Taysom Hill started that game at quarterback but completed just 19 of his 41 pass attempts while being intercepted four times. It was a rough watch.

Since then the Cowboys have been quiet in free agency, though they have added playmakers like wide receiver Brandin Cooks (the former Saints wideout) in trades. They lost a lot on the open market this spring including left tackle Tyron Smith, center Tyler Biadasz, and running back Tony Pollard plus defensive ends Dorance Armstrong Jr. and Dante Fowler Jr. Their biggest addition might be a reunion with running back Ezekiel Elliott after his awkward year with the New England Patriots.

In the draft, Dallas started out by trading down with the Detroit Lions to draft Oklahoma right tackle Tyler Guyton, who is converting to the left side (just like his Saints counterpart Taliese Fuaga). The Cowboys also drafted Western  Michigan defensive end Marshawn Kneeland and used a pick they got back from the Lions on Kansas State guard Cooper Beebe, who is competing to start at center. So it’ll be a young Cowboys offensive line working to protect Dak Prescott.

Is that a matchup the Saints defensive line can take advantage of? Maybe. This could be a real statement win if New Orleans is up to the task. Be sure to circle the date on your calendar:

  • Game information: New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys
  • Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
  • Date: Sept. 15
  • Time: Noon CT / 1p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: FOX

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Here’s what RB Ezekiel Elliott offers Cowboys in 2024

Ezekiel Elliott may have slipped as a RB but his ability to do it all gives the Cowboys a special edge in the 2024 NFL season, says @ReidDHanson.

After a single season in New England, running back Ezekiel Elliott is back in the city of Dallas. The Cowboys and their former No. 4 overall pick fell back into the familiar arms of one another when Tony Pollard left in free agency. He brings home with him familiarity and versatility.

Expectations are clearly different this go-around. Elliott is no longer one of the highest paid running backs in the league. He’s no longer expected to be the face of the franchise or the bell cow between the tackles. He’s entering the third chapter in his NFL career and at age 28, bringing more modest expectations for the 2024 season.

This isn’t the Elliott of 2016. It’s not even the Elliott of 2021. This version of Elliott is coming off a campaign where he posted career lows in yards, yards/carry, rushing yards after contact/attempt, broken tackle rate and break away percentage. By many accounts he’s a below average RB at this point in his career but that doesn’t mean he’s not bringing something extremely valuable to the table.

Elliott’s best quality when he joined the Cowboys in 2016 is his best quality today in 2024. It’s his ability to do it all. Elliott always was, and continues to be, a jack-of-all-trades at the RB position. In an age of specialists and rotations, it’s a rare trait that gives the Cowboys a rare advantage. It’s mystery.

When Elliott is in the huddle, the play call could literally be anything (flashback to when Elliott lined up at center). Elliott can run inside the tackles or outside on the edge. He can run in gap or zone schemes. He can pass protect and he can catch. He can even lead block. Elliott may not be elite in any single area of the game anymore, but he’s elite in his versatility.

When the 5-foot-6, 176-pound Deuce Vaughn takes the field, defenses probably feel pretty confident he’s not in there to pound a run between the tackles or sit back in pass protection. He’s limited as a player, so the play possibilities are limited for the Cowboys. Just like when the 6-foot, 238-pound Royce Freeman takes the field, the play call is probably less likely to have him bounce outside or be a target in the passing game. The same thing can be applied to everyone down the depth chart because the strengths and weaknesses of the runners inevitably tip off defenses.

Elliott doesn’t tip off anything.

Mike McCarthy’s offense isn’t the most deceptive attack in the NFL. There isn’t much misdirection, and the various personnel packages tend to deliver extremely predictable play calls. Elliott adds a little mystery to an otherwise unmysterious offense and the importance of that can’t be understated.

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‘We’re running back by committee’: Cowboys’ McCarthy confirms timeshare for Elliott, Dowdle, others

From @ToddBrock24f7: McCarthy says Zeke looks the same, but his role will be different in 2024. The coach has certainly run his share of past RB committees.

The Cowboys currently have eight running backs on the roster. As the veterans and rookies practice together for the first time, there are plenty of questions about which one will be the primary ballcarrier for 2024.

According to head coach Mike McCarthy, the answer is: none of the above.

“We’re running back by committee,” he told reporters at the conclusion of rookie minicamp.

Two-time rushing champ Ezekiel Elliott is back with the club and obviously the most experienced of the bunch. And while McCarthy claims that, so far, “it’s like he picked up right where he left off,” the coach seemed to confirm that the third-leading running back in franchise history- who turns 29 in July- won’t be logging 230-plus carries this year, as he had in each of his three previous seasons under McCarthy in Dallas.

“I don’t think that’s fair,” McCarthy said. “That’s not going to be his role.”

McCarthy acknowledged that modern NFL offenses have largely moved past the days of the bellcow feature back. And he certainly remembers those days well. He was on the sidelines in Kansas City for the last five years of Marcus Allen’s Hall of Fame career. In New Orleans, he gave Ricky Williams 561 carries in two seasons and then gave Deuce McAllister 945 over the next three. And he wasn’t shy about calling Ryan Grant’s number 312 times one year in Green Bay.

But despite putting Elliott in the league’s top 10 in rushing attempts every season from 2020 to 2022, McCarthy will be looking at Rico Dowdle, Royce Freeman, Deuce Vaughn, Hunter Luepke, Malik Davis, Snoop Conner, and UDFA Nathaniel Peat to help shoulder some of the Cowboys’ load this year.

“Seventeen games is lot of football, that’s a big role for those guys,” McCarthy explained. “Don’t get me wrong; they’d all like to carry it like the old days and have those touches, but you want those guys fresh at the most important time of the year.”

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How the workload will actually be split, of course, remains to be seen. But McCarthy has definitely run his share of committees, too. In 2022, Elliott and Tony Pollard had a 54/46 percentage split in carries. Eleven seasons prior, Ryan Grant and James Starks had an even closer division of labor: 134 and 133 carries, respectively, for a McCarthy-led Green Bay team that finished 15-1.

And his 2016 Packers saw eight different players tally double-digit rushing attempts, with nobody tallying more than 80. That RB room included Starks, Ty Montgomery, Eddie Lacy, Aaron Ripkowski, Christine Michael, Don Jackson, and Knile Davis… and bears a strong resemblance to the veritable sampler platter of backfield options Dallas plans to work with this summer.

Green Bay went 10-6 that season, earned a wild-card berth, beat the favored Cowboys in the divisional round, and made it to the NFC Championship.

Most Cowboys fans would be thrilled with an outcome like that in 2024, even if it means needing a program to keep track of who’s running the ball at any given time.

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Cowboys quietly took major steps to improve troubled running game

The Cowboys didn’t upgrade their RBs in the offseason but they took major action in upgrading the run blockers, says @ReidDHanson.

At face value, the Cowboys running game regressed over the offseason. Tony Pollard, their top rusher from 2023, left in free agency and only free agents Ezekiel Elliott and Royce Freeman were added to replace him.

Dallas turned their noses up at running back options in the draft as well, opting to address other positions rather than reach for need at RB. The Cowboys somewhat flippant attitude towards the RB position has raised concerns across the fanbase.

Did Dallas’ disregard for the RB position signal they didn’t care about the running game, or did it speak to their confidence in the committee they assembled?

Rico Dowdle, Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn, Hunter Luepke, Elliott and Freeman aren’t names likely to instill fear in the hearts of opponents. Now, it’s possible the Cowboys feel differently about this collection of ball carriers but it’s more likely they feel better about their group of blockers paving the way.

Dallas devoted major resources to the offensive line this draft cycle, adding Tyler Guyton in the first round and Cooper Beebe in the third round to upgrade their starting unit. Guyton, the expected starting left tackle on Day 1, and Beebe, the expected starting center on Day 1, are both seen as eventual upgrades to the men they replace.

For as great as Tyron Smith was at LT in 2023, his run blocking was slipping. His PFF run blocking grade came in at just 29th last season. Guyton probably won’t be a marked improvement over that right away, but his athletic profile is such he could exceed Smith as a run blocker in the near future. The most important outcome of Guyton’s addition is it lets Tyler Smith stay at left guard where he’s an absolutely dominant blocker and ascending by the day.

In the case of Beebe, he could be an immediate upgrade over Tyler Biadasz at OC. Beebe was a top-rated interior lineman in his draft class and projects as a high-end OC in the NFL.

The right side of the line is also expected to be better in 2024. Zack Martin had a down year where he was nagged by injuries, but conventional wisdom would call that an outlier season and better health and performance can be expected in 2024. Similarly, Terence Steele struggled returning from his catastrophic knee injury from a season prior. Another season of distance from that injury will probably do him well as he looks to recapture his previous form. His contract situation only adds to that motivation to improve.

Possibly the most understated improvement the Cowboys made to their run blocking is at the tight end position. While most of that improvement will come organically from within, the Cowboys signed Brevyn Spann-Ford, a blocking specialist, to an enormous $225,000 contract following the draft. He’s their most expensive undrafted free agent signing, and someone most predict will make the active roster.

Blocking from the TE position was, at times, abysmal for Dallas in 2023. Jake Ferguson was below average, Luke Schoonmaker inexplicably struggled in most blocking opportunities and Peyton Hendershot offered next to nothing in ways of blocking. The edges were ugly for Dallas last year and the numbers showed it. Better TE play will mean better outside running and that favors everyone in that RB committee.

The Cowboys didn’t address the running game in a traditional sense by adding a top ball carrier, but they addressed it with blocking upgrades. It’s also important to point out, many other options exist for Dallas and there’s a good chance the RB position will see changes between now and training camp.

Even with less talent at the RB position, a case can be made the running game was improved.

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Former Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott to wear familiar number with Cowboys

A familiar number for Elliott! #GoBucks

Earlier this week it was announced that Ezekiel Elliott is headed back to Dallas after signing a one-year deal with the Cowboys. On Thursday, it was announced that the Ohio State legend will be wearing the number 15 that he repped for the Buckeyes.

Elliott had an unforgettable career at Ohio State as integral part of the Buckeyes 2014 national-title-winning squad and put up over 2,000 scrimmage yards in back-to-back seasons.

He was then selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft.  Elliott spent seven seasons with the Cowboys where he led the league in rushing twice before signing with the Patriots for the 2023 season in which he recorded 955 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns.

While Elliott isn’t quite the star player he once was he still has some gas left in the tank who projects to be a key part of the Cowboys running back rotation this season.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Evan Bachman on X.

Ezekiel Elliott to wear No. 15 after all, 2 Cowboys teammates changing numbers to accommodate

From @ToddBrock24f7: Zeke will switch to his Ohio State jersey number for 2024. Trey Lance and rookie Ryan Flournoy will get new numbers in the ensuing shuffle.

Actually, it looks like those Ezekiel Elliott No. 21 jerseys just became throwbacks. And a whole new batch of his updated merch will no doubt be hitting stores soon.

The veteran running back will not return to his former jersey number in his second stint with the Cowboys, as was previously reported. Instead, he’ll now wear No. 15, same as he wore last season in New England and in college at Ohio State.

The switcheroo was confirmed Wednesday by Patrik Walker of the team website.

With the signing of his contract earlier in the week, Elliott had started his conditioning work wearing the number that fans remember from his first seven years in the league. Now that he’s moving to 15, though, it will cause a bit of ripple effect in the locker room, with two of his new teammates being affected.

Backup quarterback Trey Lance had been wearing No. 15 ever since he was acquired by Dallas last season in a trade. He’ll give that up to Elliott and take No. 19 instead.

Only problem? The team had already announced that new draft pick Ryan Flournoy would be the latest in a long line of Cowboys wide receivers to don the 19 jersey. It is not yet known what number Flournoy will shift to.

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Many Cowboys fans have already taken the next leap of logic to assume that free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore will be brought back to take back up the No. 21 he adopted for the 2023 season, but that is only speculation and wishful thinking, at least for now.

Because as has been demonstrated by the whole saga of Elliott’s return to Dallas- and now his number shuffle- things can change in a hurry in the NFL.

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Elliott formally signs contract to return to Cowboys; will wear No. 21 again

From @ToddBrock24f7: The 2-time rushing champ made it official Tuesday on a 1-year deal worth up to $3 million. He’ll wear the same number as his first 7 years.

Ezekiel Elliott is officially a Dallas Cowboy again, and it’s just like he never left… right down to the jersey he’ll be wearing.

“It feels great to be home,” he said Tuesday. “I definitely missed everyone here, definitely missed the building, definitely missed Cowboys Nation. It’s exciting to be back and get this thing going.”

The veteran running back put pen to paper at The Star in Frisco, formally signing the one-year deal worth up to a reported $3 million, with $2 million of it guaranteed.

That price tag is more commensurate with what the team can likely expect to get out of the two-time rushing champ, as opposed to the decline in stats that began soon after he signed the 2019 contract that made him one of the highest-paid rushers in league history.

Elliott will turn 29 in July, and he believes he can still be a starter. He joined the Patriots in 2023 to be part of a rotation but had to assume starting duties there after Rhamondre Stevenson went down.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones saw that and feels Elliott can return to a prominent role in Dallas, too. He’s by far the most battle-tested ballcarrier in the building, leading a group that includes Rico Dowdle, Royce Freeman, Deuce Vaughn, Hunter Luepke, Snoop Conner, Malik Davis, and brand-new UDFA Nathaniel Peat.

Elliott is seen by most as still a viable option in short-yardage and goal-line situations, and his pass-blocking skills remain unquestioned. But how he’ll actually be used in Mike McCarthy’s second season as the Cowboys’ offensive play-caller will no doubt be a question that’s asked all summer long.

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What we do know is that Elliott is back, and he’ll be rocking the No. 21 jersey that he sold shiploads of during his first stint with the club. (He wore No. 15- his college digits- in New England, while free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore adopted the No. 21 for Dallas last season.)

Elliott was a fan favorite for seven years, and now fans won’t even have to buy new jerseys to show their love for Zeke when he and the Cowboys take the field in 2024.

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Entire weight of Cowboys’ running game will fall on OL in 2024

The Cowboys will need a dominant offensive line to give them a formidable running game in 2024. | From @ReidDHanson

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Jerry Jones and the Cowboys are putting that adage to the test in 2024. Not to come off as insult to owner Jones but at 81 years of age, the head honcho in Dallas accurately qualifies as an “old dog” by most standards.

Yet where Jones errored in days past, he’s seemingly corrected course here in the present. Devoid of anything remotely resembling a starting running back, the top ball-carrier position was thought of by many as a major need of Dallas’ in the draft.

Low and behold, the elder Jones proved these are not the Cowboys of the 1990s and new tricks are not impossible for all old dogs.

To the dismay and bewilderment of many, the Cowboys never drafted a RB in the 2024 NFL draft. They liked some and had some on their draft board, but when push came to shove, when the Cowboys went on the clock, higher rated players at other positions prevailed.

The RB position went unfilled, and in the aftermath, Dallas fell back on a familiar face, signing Ezekiel Elliott to a one-year/$3 million deal to rejoin the team that once drafted him fourth overall.

The reunion was both a reminder of the past and the lesson in the present for Jones. Once upon a time the Cowboys blew the budget to keep the incomparable Elliott in town and finically satisfied. The investment ran contrary to growing analytical opinion which incessantly trumpeted, “RB’s don’t matter.”

As fortune would have it, the analytics community proved correct, and Elliott became an expensive luxury the Cowboys could no longer justify within the budget. Cue his release and subsequent 2023 season with New England.

Fast-forward to 2024 and the Cowboys and Elliott are exes reunited. No longer the power-couple they were once were, Elliott and the Cowboys are set out to show it’s the offensive line who carries the weight of the running game and the running back who simply takes what’s given to him.

Over the last two seasons, Elliott has not been the value-added runner he once was. His rushing yards over expected have noticeably declined and he, like most RBs, have proven to only be as good as the blockers in front of him.

Elliott’s still valuable in matters outside of extra yardage, but generally speaking, it’s on the Cowboys newly rebuild offensive line to provide most of ground yards in 2024.

Instead of adding a rusher to replace the newly departed Tony Pollard, the Cowboys used a first rounder, third rounder and seventh rounder to address the O-line. All three grade well as draft selections and all three have potential that’s through the roof.

Even if Elliott isn’t the final plan at RB1 in Dallas, no one the Cowboys can realistically acquire is likely to be much better in terms of rushing yards over expected. The operative word being “expected,” meaning the best way to improve the Dallas running game this coming season isn’t by asking the RB to do more with what he’s given but giving the RB more to work with. Improve the expected. It’s up to the offensive line.

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