Emmitt Smith stands on the table for Ezekiel Elliott, wants him back on Dallas Cowboys
Ezekiel Elliott’s tenure with the Dallas Cowboys came to an end after seven seasons in March, when the organization released the 27-year-old running back.
Or did it?
Elliott, a three-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro, remains a free agent. And if it were up to Pro Football Hall of Fame tailback and Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith, he’d be back on a one-way ticket to Dallas.
“I think Dallas needs to bring Zeke back if they can,” Smith recently told USA TODAY. “With the uncertainty of [Tony] Pollard being able to come back and be the Tony Pollard we all know we have, that is yet to be seen. Until that is proven itself out and he’s healthy enough to get out there and carry the football and be some form of who he used to be, that is my biggest concern. No disrespect to Malik Davis, no disrespect to Deuce Vaughn but, Malik Davis and Deuce Vaughn, and no Tony Pollard, presents a major challenge.”
After four years of sharing duties with Elliott, Pollard is slated to be RB1 for the first time in his career in 2023. Though he’s coming off his first 1,000-yard rushing campaign, Smith has concerns moving forward. Pollard underwent surgery in January to repair ligaments from a high ankle sprain he suffered in the NFC Divisional Round defeat to the San Francisco 49ers.
Dallas, meanwhile, added to its running back room in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Cowboys selected Deuce Vaughn in the sixth-round out of Kansas State. Pollard and Vaughn are joined by Malik Davis, Ronald Jones II and Rico Dowdle in a rather crowded running back room.
Would Cowboys have interest in re-signing Ezekiel Elliott?
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently added fuel to speculation of a possible Elliott return. Jones said the ship hasn’t sailed on a reunion between the two parties.
“The ship hasn’t sailed there,” Jones said following the final day of the draft, per Heavy.com. “We haven’t made a decision at all. As far as our interest in Zeke, nothing we did today changes that. I haven’t ruled out Zeke.”
Elliott rushed for 8,262 yards and 68 touchdowns on 4.4 yards per carry in Dallas. Elliott, however, regressed in 2022. He suited up in 15 games, recording career lows across the board. Elliott rushed for 876 yards on 3.8 yards per carry and had zero 100-yard-plus games. He added 17 receptions for 92 yards.
