After losing in the Wild Card round of the playoffs the previous season, many people criticized the Dallas Cowboys for having a quiet and, some would argue, awful offseason.
After Tony Pollard left in free agency, their largest need may have been a reliable starting running back. A few days ago, they signed Ezekiel Elliott, who had signed a one-year contract to leave last year, back.
According to Around The NFL, Elliott is glad to be back and even referred to the Cowboys as “home.”
Elliott spent the 2023 season as a member of the New England Patriots, a team that finished the season with just four wins. Despite this, Elliott managed a career-low 642 rushing yards and five total touchdowns.
His productivity has decreased over the past few seasons; in 2019, the last time he was selected to the Pro Bowl, he averaged 4.5 yards per carry. This year, he only managed 3.5 yards per carry.
Therefore, there’s no assurance that he’ll start in the backfield for Dallas in Week 1 of the 2018 year.
Elliott will probably be more of a supporting player than a standout offensive weapon at this stage of his career, which means Dallas will be without a reliable running game to counterbalance their potent passing offense.
It has been believed that they have been trying to save their salary cap room in order to eventually offer quarterback Dak Prescott, standout pass rusher Micah Parsons, and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb hefty deal extensions.
As Prescott approaches the final year of his deal, many have speculated about what might happen to him after 2024.
