After spending a year apart, Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys have reunited.
Dak Prescott views this as more than a mere reconciliation—it’s a reunion that the team greatly needed.
“Super excited. Just obviously knowing our history, my experience with him as a brother, but, in this case, as a teammate, understanding what he brings to the team,” Prescott said Wednesday, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Just the locker room alone, the culture he sets, a guy that does everything the right way from, from the locker room to the field.”
While Prescott didn’t explicitly say that Dallas was missing such a presence last season, it was clear the Cowboys were in need of assistance at running back for 2024, especially after Tony Pollard’s departure in free agency.
The team’s bet on Pollard to match Elliott’s output as the primary back fell short in 2023, with Pollard’s performance dipping compared to their last season together in 2022.
The exit of Pollard left a substantial void in the backfield, and with limited budget for a replacement, the Cowboys turned back to Elliott, who had spent 2023 as a part of a running back committee with the Patriots.
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Reuniting with Elliott, whom Prescott entered the NFL with in the 2016 draft class, brings a wave of excitement for Prescott as they both enter their ninth NFL season. Their friendship and long-standing partnership are seen as major positives, especially now that they are among the more experienced members of the team.
“He’s honest, what you see is what you get as I said, he can have fun when it’s time, but when it’s time to be serious and lock in, there’s nobody better than him,” Prescott said. “Just to be able to bring the fun to the locker room, but in the same sense you see that and be able to separate that moment you walk on the field to see his focus, to see his intensity, to see the way that he practiced as I said every young guy should follow, the way that he goes about his business on the field.”
In his returning role, Elliott might not be the lead back he once was, but he is set to play a crucial leadership role among a youthful group of runners including Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, and others like Royce Freeman, Snoop Conner, Malik Davis, and Nathaniel Peat who are vying for roster spots.
Indeed, Elliott is now an established veteran. Prescott is eager to see how his leadership will influence and accelerate the development of the team’s young talent.
“Adding Zeke to a room that already has depth, particularly with young players, is a huge benefit,” Prescott explained. “What he can impart to these guys can really expedite their growth and how they approach their careers.”
