The Cowboys used the fourth overall pick on Ezekiel Elliott in 2016, a year after trying something of a running back by committee with Darren McFadden and Joseph Randle. McFadden served as the bridge between DeMarco Murray and Elliott, rushing for 1,089 yards in 2015.
Now, Elliott is that guy after spending most of his previous time in Dallas as THE guy.
He will share carries with Rico Dowdle, Royce Freeman and Deuce Vaughn.
“Shoot, I don’t know exactly what it looks like, but we’ll see,” Elliott said, via Garrett Podell of CBS Sports. “I love football. I’m going to do whatever it takes for me, that I need to do, to help this team win. Whatever that is.”
Elliott averaged 22 touches per game in his first five seasons but only 15 over the past two seasons while splitting carries with Tony Pollard in Dallas in 2022 and Rhamondre Stevenson in New England in 2023. Last season, in his only season with the Patriots, Elliott had career lows in starts (five), snaps (539), carries (184), yards (642), touchdowns (three) and yards per carry (3.5).
“I still view myself as a starter in this league,” Elliott said. “But also I’ve got to take care of my body and make sure I’m fresh for when it matters. What’s that going to look like? I’m not necessarily sure, but we’ll figure it out.”
He is happy to be back with the Cowboys, and the Cowboys are happy to have him. But Elliott is not the same back who led the league in rushing in two of his first three seasons, and it seems likely they will have a different starter next season.
