After one year apart, the Dallas Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott got back together.
The veteran running back officially signed a new contract to rejoin the Cowboys on Tuesday. He’ll boost a backfield that took a major hit when Tony Pollard went to the Tennessee Titans in free agency.
While Elliott’s production has regressed, Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay expressed confidence in the three-time Pro Bowler contributing in 2024.
“Zeke is a winning, starting running back in the league,” McClay said Tuesday, per the team’s website.
Elliott tallied a career-low 642 rushing yards on a personal-worst 3.5 yards per carry with the New England Patriots last season. However, McClay still saw some positive signs when reviewing Elliott’s game film.
“You turn on the tape, and you saw him doing things like power gap scheme running, inside-outside zone, helping in pass protection — all those things to show that the ability is still there,” McClay said. “Adding it to this roster, it adds a guy that loves football, wants to win here, wants to be here, and adds to the roster from a leadership standpoint as well as his ability to play.”
The Cowboys didn’t draft a running back, and Royce Freeman was their most notable free-agent signing before adding Elliott. That suggests “Zeke” will play a meaningful role in their backfield rotation alongside Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn.
McClay said he’s “excited” about what Elliott adds to the team’s backfield committee. Jerry Jones also endorsed the former franchise cornerstone’s abilities before signing Elliott.
“I saw as recent as the end of the year, I saw Zeke play,” Jones said last week. “And I will tell you he’s good enough to be a starter.”