Suddenly, the Dallas Cowboys might have a need at running back.
Maybe then a reunion – if it can even be called that – with Ezekiel Elliott could be in the cards. Jerry Jones isn’t ruling it out at least.
The Cowboys cut Elliott loose this offseason after seven years with the team. Tony Pollard had effectively supplanted Elliott as Dallas’ top running back last season, so cutting Elliott offered some salary cap relief.
Dallas signed veteran back Ronald Jones to play behind Pollard, but he was popped with a two-game PED suspension Monday, which he’ll have to serve at the beginning of the season. Pollard, meanwhile, is coming off high-ankle surgery that took place in January. Beyond those two, the Cowboys’ running back room is young and unproven.
So, it might make some sense to bring Elliott back, something Jones left the door open for Tuesday on The K&C Masterpiece.
“We’re reading the tea leaves,” Jones said. “And so the events like yesterday, the suspension that’s involved, you can have injuries of varying degrees, and then you have got the thing that everybody thinks of, and that’s how does it look?
"We got the pads on yesterday for the first time. It's hard to appreciate Zeke without pads, because that be his game. And when you put that pad on and you realize the collisions that can happen for you, just his protection and blocking, then all of a sudden you start thinking about the kind of things you'll be thinking about when you're evaluating at camp. He's not ruled out at all there.”
If the Cowboys do decide to add at running back, Elliott makes obvious sense from a familiarity standpoint. Plus, there are so many quality options available that there’s a decent chance Elliott would be playing at a steep discount.
The 28-year-old played in 15 games last season, finishing with 876 yards rushing with 12 touchdowns.
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