The Dallas Cowboys are turning the clocks backwards, reuniting Ezekiel Elliot and Dak Prescott in the backfield after the two shared a successful stint from 2016 to 2022, when Elliot then decided to sign with the Patriots for 2023.
Well, after one year playing for one of the worst offenses in the entire NFL, Elliot ultimately decided to come back and fill the open RB slot in Dallas after the Cowboys opted not to make a splashy free agent signing at running back, nor did they use a single one of their eight draft picks on a player at that position.
So, in many ways, the Elliot reunion made sense for Dallas, and quarterback Dak Prescott is thrilled to have his longtime partner back in the fold.
“Yeah, super excited,” Prescott shared on the Elliot addition when asked by reporters. Beyond his ability on the football field, Prescott believes the Elliot signing was a move to add more veteran leadership to what’s morphed into a younger roster these days.
“Obviously, just knowing our history, my experience with him as a brother, but in this case, as a teammate, understanding what he brings to the team, the locker room alone, the culture he sets. A guy that does everything the right way, from the locker room to the field. With us having a young team, bringing guys in, people can follow him and watch him.”
Sure, at his age, Elliot may not be as explosive as he once was, but Prescott knows he’s going to be taking snaps next to someone that isn’t a rookie, but rather, a dude he’s known and played with for years and can trust. So yeah, Prescott is quite happy to get to play alongside Ezekiel Elliot.
“Excited, excited for him to be back, knowing what he’s going to provide. Big time playmaker, obviously. I’m excited.”
Now, as a player, there are some serious signs of wear and tear. For starters, Elliot is preparing to turn 29 years old this offseason — and the data will tell you that the decline for RBs at that age is often pretty steep. Nowadays, you hardly ever see running backs north of 30 years old still toting the rock as the RB1.
Then there’s the stats. Out of college, Elliot was a monster out of the backfield, leading the league in yards two out of his first three seasons while leading the NFL in yards per game each of his first three seasons. But that young, spry and explosive Elliot is fading out.
Instead, in the most recent three seasons, Elliot has fallen off somewhat. From 2021 to 2022 to 2023, Elliot saw his total yards, total carries, yards per carry, yards per game, rushing success rate and longest carry (just 17 yards in ’23) all decrease each year.
Frankly, most of the numbers suggest that Dallas just picked up a guy who’s over the hill. But then again, he did play in a terrible offense last season and still put up 876 yards the year prior as part of a loaded Cowboys backfield alongside Tony Pollard. So there could be a little juice left, and that’s what Dallas is banking on.
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