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A possible Ezekiel Elliott reunion with the Dallas Cowboys was a popular NFL rumor throughout the offseason as the running back remained unsigned, but it does not appear the franchise was motivated to make this a reality. Now a member of the New England Patriots, Elliott revealed that he had minimal talks with Dallas about re-signing on a more affordable deal following his release.
“He [Jerry Jones] told me what was going on, that it’s not something he wanted to do but it was just part of business,” Elliott said of his talk with Jones, per ESPN’s Ed Werder. “There was minimum talks about coming back.”
Elliott ultimately signed a one-year, $3 million million contract with the Patriots. Through the first three games, Elliott has 28 carries for 122 rushing yards including posting 16 rushes for 80 yards against the Jets in Week 3.
Dak Prescott on Ezekiel Elliott: ‘His Spirits Are Great, He’s Excited’
Dak Prescott has been vocal about the difficulty of seeing his good friend released over the offseason. Leading up to the Patriots-Cowboys matchup, Prescott revealed that the two had a long phone call.
“Probably first time we’ve talked on the phone for that long I can say in a while,” Prescott told reporters on September 28, 2023. “But his spirits are great, he’s excited. Obviously excited for him. Yeah it’ll be good to see him.”
Elliott’s time in Dallas may have ended abruptly, but one thing the veteran is happy for is Tony Pollard getting a chance to be the team’s lead back. Pollard has posted 62 carries for 264 yards and 2 touchdowns through the first three weeks.
“Patriots RB Ezekiel Elliott on Tony Pollard’s production as lead back: ‘It doesn’t surprise me at all. Ever since Tony got to Dallas, I knew what type of back he is,'” The Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken tweeted about Elliott’s September 27, 2023 conference call with Cowboys reporters. “Happy for Pollard’s success. ‘I wish him well.’ Little to say about with Cowboys. ‘Business is business.'”
Would Ezekiel Elliott Solve the Dallas Cowboys’ Red Zone Woes?
Following the Cowboys’ disappointing loss to the Cardinals in Week 3, the team received a lot of criticism for their red zone woes. ESPN’s Robert Griffin III believes Dallas is missing Elliott’s impact in the red zone offense.
“It felt like two or three years, everyone … was talking about Zeke being washed,” Griffin explained during a September 26 episode of “Get Up.” “But the bottom line is, the Dallas Cowboys miss Zeke right now.”
Owner Jerry Jones does not appear to share this belief about Dallas missing Elliott. Jones believes the team’s red zone issues go beyond the running back position.
“Well, Zeke’s unique physicalness is always nice to have,” Jones stated during a September 27 interview on 105.3 The Fan’s “Shan & RJ.” “Nice to have, to be trite about it, it’s very good to have. We think of physical on short yardage and probably should, but I don’t think that physicalness from the running back is contributing to us not getting in the end zone.”
It will be interesting to see if the Cowboys could explore re-signing Elliott in 2024 when the running back is once again a free agent. More time will have passed since the difficult breakup between the two parties, but it remains to be seen if Dallas would want to pursue a potential reunion.
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