Should the Dallas Cowboys bring back Ezekiel Elliott?

This season, the Dallas Cowboys have taken their usual approach to free agency, allowing the first few waves to pass by and not chasing after the more coveted and higher-priced prospects on the market. Instead, the Cowboys have used free agency to retain several of their players and keep them on modest deals. On Saturday, news emerged that the Cowboys have an interest in an outside free agent who is very much one of their own.

Sources: Cowboys, RB Ezekiel Elliott have mutual interest in a possible reunion. https://t.co/lt0lDly6uT

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) March 30, 2024

The news isn’t surprising. The team has been linked to rumors of re-signing Ezekiel Elliott before he signed with the New England Patriots last season. For the Patriots, Elliott totaled 958 yards from scrimmage with five touchdowns. From Elliott’s perspective, he would want to return to the team that drafted him with the fourth overall pick in 2016 and was a two-time All-Pro. Here are three reasons why the Cowboys should re-sign Ezekiel Elliott.

Dallas won’t feel pressure to take a RB early

The Cowboys have several areas of need on their roster heading into the draft later this month. However, after not re-signing Tony Pollard, running back has elevated itself as a point of focus in the last month. Naturally, analysts are connecting the dots and suspect the Cowboys could be coveting a running back prospect in the second and third rounds of the draft. The thing is, the Cowboys only have seven draft picks currently and only three in the top 100.

A running back in the first three rounds would mean one less pick for open holes like tackle, center, or linebacker. Signing Elliott provides the Cowboys with a serviceable running back by committee in tandem with Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn. The Cowboys can still draft a late-round runner, should they fall like Isaac Guerendo or Kendall Milton.

Pass protection

It may be somewhat overstated, but Elliott excels in pass protection, and that’s part of what made him a complete prospect when the Cowboys drafted him with the fourth overall pick in 2016. Despite being a change-of-pace runner and likely a third-down option, Deuce Vaughn isn’t cut out to block defenders much bigger than him. Entrusting the most valuable asset of your franchise at quarterback to an ill-equipped or inexperienced player to pass block a free rusher is risky.

Also, remember that the Cowboys’ offensive line will look different this year, minus Tyron Smith and Tyler Bidasz. Brock Hoffman is the early favorite to replace Biadasz at center, but what about left tackle? Should the Cowboys trust a first-year running back and left tackle to pick up protections for the quarterback’s blindside? It’s as simple as you re-sign Elliott and place him where he’s sure to succeed.

Short yardage/goal line runner

Dallas created a problem with the release of Elliott and will mean to solve it by, you guessed it, re-signing Elliott. The Cowboys tried different solutions near the goal line, but none succeeded. Despite getting many opportunities near the goal line, Pollard should have capitalized more. The lowlight of what became a season-long struggle was the debacle of a sequence against the Miami Dolphins that culminated in a fumble inside the five-yard line on a botched exchange between Dak Prescott and Pollard.

The Cowboys have experimented with carries for Hunter Leupke in short yardage, but turning to a known commodity in that department is a fitting resolution to a problem. Most of Elliott’s touchdowns in 2022 with the Cowboys came from inside the five-yard line, proving he can handle the task.