Potential Ezekiel Elliott-Cowboys reunion makes perfect sense at this point

The Dallas Cowboys opted not to make a big move in an effort to bring in a running back next to now-starter Tony Pollard this offseason. After parting ways with long-time starter Ezekiel Elliott, opting not to pay him just under $11 million in 2023, it seemed likely the team would create a new version of “thunder and lightning” by adding a running back to play behind Pollard.

After signing Ronald Jones II and drafting former Kansas State standout Deuce Vaughn in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys could certainly still add another talented running back. So the popular question remains – why not bring Elliott back?

The looming concern over Elliott’s status with the Cowboys previously was his contract and yearly salary hit, but that’s no longer a concern. Going one step further, the team did little to address the missing punch that Elliott provided next to Pollard and still needs to find a way to do so.

So with a long-time fan-favorite still sitting as a free agent, the reasons for bringing him back outweigh the reasons not to, and it’s not even a debate.

Elliott previously hinted that he had interest in joining the Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles or New York Jets, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. But all three have passed on signing him, and the only team potentially not out of the mix is the Bengals if they opt to part ways with Joe Mixon.

Since that report, there hasn’t been a peep about Elliott’s free agency, and there appears to be more conversation about him returning to the Cowboys than there is public interest from teams in signing him. All of those things are positives for the Cowboys, but realistically, they aren’t negatives for Elliott either since the general range of his value from a contract perspective appears to be fairly apparent.

Elliott’s power and knack for finding the end zone (12 touchdowns in 2022), along with his ability to pass protect makes him as close to the definition of an “elite” option next to Pollard as you’ll find. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell cited that if Elliott isn’t going to land a deal north of $5 million per year elsewhere, there’s little reason for him not to return to Dallas.

Going one step beyond that, Elliott and Pollard are publicly known to have a strong friendship and great relationship. It’s hard to envision any animosity from Elliott, who helped Pollard throughout the early stages of his career, and one would have to assume that Pollard would have little pushback on a reunion with Elliott as well.

At the end of the day, this almost makes too much sense, and the Cowboys would be wise to make it happen before something does play out, such as the Bengals potentially moving on from Mixon.