Ezekiel Elliott hypes up Cowboys fans with three-word post after return to Dallas for 2024 NFL season
Ezekiel Elliott returned to the Dallas Cowboys after agreeing to terms on a contract on Monday. Elliott returns to Dallas after spending a below-par season with the New England Patriots in 2023.
Elliott to Cowboys became official after the running back passed his physical on Tuesday. The 28-year-old will don his old No. 21 jersey for his second stint.
Moments after signing the contract, Elliott took to X, formerly Twitter, to express the excitement around his return. He tweeted ‘RUN IT BACK’.
Ezekiel Elliott to Cowboys: How did former Patriots RB perform in New England?
Elliott’s move to the Patriots in 2023 seemed like a solid fit under the then-head coach Bill Belichick, but things didn’t go as planned for the entire franchise. His lone season in New England saw career lows in multiple departments. Elliott ended the season with 184 carries for 642 yards and just three touchdowns.
Jerry Jones favored running back Tony Pollard and franchise tagged him, leaving the door wide open for Elliott to find a new team last year. Nearly a year later, Pollard moved to the Tennessee Titans in free agency as Jones found himself in a running back puzzle again.
A possible reunion for Elliott was discussed ahead of the NFL Draft 2024 in Detroit but Jones remained coy about a potential move while heaping praise for Elliott.
"I know this, I saw as recent as the end of the year, I saw Zeke play. And I will tell you he's good enough to be a starter," Cowboys owner Jones told media last week.
So when the Cowboys failed to draft a running back in this year’s draft, Jones hinted at other options to improve the position.
"I've seen teams win the Super Bowl with running backs that they traded for midseason. The point is that this thing is a long way from being over as to how you're going to line up (during the season)," Jones said to reporters after the Cowboys failed to draft a running back.
Despite ending his first stint in Dallas on a sour note, Elliott is still considered one of the best running backs in Cowboys history. The three-time Pro Bowl running back rushed for 1,000 yards four times in seven seasons and is placed third on the all-time list in rushing yards at 8,262.