Dak Prescott is still riding with former Dallas Cowboys star teammate Ezekiel Elliott as the running back remains a free agent. The Cowboys quarterback has been working out with Elliott throughout the offseason noting the running back “looks great” while Prescott added that he is “excited for whatever opportunity” emerges for the star rusher.
“That’s my best friend,” Prescott told The Dallas Morning News’ Lia Assimakopoulos during a June 21, 2023 interview. “We’ll continue to work, continue to push each other. He looks great. I’m excited for whatever opportunity he has coming up, and I’m always his biggest fan.”
Dallas released Elliott in March and the veteran has still not signed with a new team. Dalvin Cook, Leonard Fournette and Kareem Hunt also join Elliott on the free agent running back market. Prescott is encouraging Elliott and the other star veterans to remain patient in choosing their next team.
“I think the running back position is tough,” Prescott added. “All those guys are dynamic backs, can still play and have a lot left in the tank. I hope all of them make the right decision and not just jump on whatever’s fast. You’re never surprised about what this league does. You always have to understand it’s a business and try not to take anything personal.”
Cowboys Rumors: Could Ezekiel Elliott Re-Sign With Dallas?
Publicly, the Cowboys have kept the door open on the idea of re-signing Elliott to a new deal. Yet, there remains skepticism that Dallas is as open to a reunion as their comments indicate. Dallas owner Jerry Jones mentioned Elliott by name when discussing potential free agent moves the team could still make heading into training camp.
“There’s an active free agent market relative to some pretty talented people out there,” Jones said during a June 5 media session. “We want to keep a close eye on that. I never shut the door — never — relative to the potential to smartly add to our team for this year.
“I emphasize that, for this year. Mainly, I would tell you that 99% of my thinking is about this year. Now, you’ve got to think about the impact on other years when you make these decisions, so. You name it whether it be Zeke. Whether it be where we are with the guys that we worked out here today.”
NFL Insider on Ezekiel Elliott Rumors: ‘A Return to Dallas in the Long Run Could Be Where This Is Headed’
League insider Mike Garafolo believes that a Zeke return to Dallas “could be where this is headed.” The Buccaneers and Chargers are two teams who have been linked to Elliott given both franchises hired former Cowboys assistants this offseason. Garafolo added that the Bucs do not appear eager to sign Elliott despite the team’s decision to release Fournette.
“Well, I remember Jerry Jones leaving the door open to a potential return to Dallas for Ezekiel Elliott, and Mike McCarthy [was] recently asked about the Zeke release called it, quote, ‘Capanomics,’ meaning it had more to do with the financials than what they think of Ezekiel Elliott as a running back,” Garafolo detailed on NFL Network.
“So, Dallas still believes that he’s got football left. Now, he’s not going to be the lead back there, obviously, if he does return there and there’s really not a bunch of teams beating down his door to give him a lot of money right now.
“I know a lot of folks still connecting him to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That’s where Skip Peete, his former running backs coach in Dallas, is now. But I don’t sense that Tampa’s hot on his trail so perhaps a return to Dallas in the long run could be where this is headed. We’ll see.”
Comments
Dak Prescott Sends Message on Ezekiel Elliott’s Future Amid Cowboys Rumors