Regardless of where you stand on the Dallas Cowboys’ decision to bring back Ezekiel Elliott, it’s pretty awesome to see him back at training camp with his former teammates. Not that he was out of shape by any stretch of the imagination, but Elliott looks slimmed down and in excellent shape.
That’s a testament to the work Elliott put in all offseason. It’s clear Zeke is motivated to reclaim his role as the Cowboys’ lead running back. Luckily for Elliott, there is no emerging former draft pick breathing down his neck the way Tony Pollard did before Pollard ultimately took the starting job.
It’s unclear if the Cowboys want to keep Elliott beyond this season. That will hinge on his performance, but anything is possible with Jerry Jones at the helm. If we had to guess, though, it’s more likely than not that this will be Elliott’s last hoorah in Dallas.
Not to look too far into the future, but it will be interesting to see what team (assuming it’s not the Cowboys) gives Zeke a crack in 2025. It might not even come to that, though. In a recent interview from camp in Oxnard, Elliott sounded like a player who has retirement in the back of his mind.
Could 2024 be Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott’s last season in the NFL?
“The shelf life of an NFL player is three years,” said Elliott, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “Every snap, every year, one more year I get is a blessing. I think it was important for me to come back because I have unfinished business. I felt like I wanted to come back and be with my guys and take another spin at it. Right now, the focus is now, having as much fun as I can. I don’t know how many more of these I’m going to have. And just take advantage of being here and living in the moment.”
Elliott understands that his best days are behind him. At 29 years old and with nearly 2,100 carries over his career, Elliott’s career has lasted longer than most running backs. Granted, he’s been on the decline for three seasons now, but it speaks volumes that teams still trust him to handle a significant role.
Say what you will about the Cowboys bringing Zeke back, but six-time Super Bowl champion (and future Cowboys head coach?) Bill Belichick signed him last offseason. While the Patriots had lower expectations than most teams, Belichick clearly thought Elliott can still contribute to winning.
At the end of the day, this very well could be Elliott’s last training camp. Very few running backs play past age-30. Derrick Henry is an extreme outlier. Other backs over 30 still active and getting work include Raheem Mostert, Latavius Murray and Cordarrelle Patterson. That’s it.
If this is Elliott’s last season in the NFL, let’s enjoy it. He’s a top-five running back in Cowboys history and one of the most iconic players to ever wear a star on their helmet. The day the two-time rushing champ announces his retirement will be a sad day for Cowboys fans. It sounds like that could be waiting for us on the other side of the 2024 season.
