Don’t Be Surprised If Ezekiel Elliott Plays Pivotal Role for Cowboys

Could the running back once again emerge as an impact player in the Dallas backfield?

Could Ezekiel Elliott once again become a major player in the Cowboys backfield in 2023?

Elliott, who was released by Dallas back in March after seven seasons, remains unsigned as a free agent.

So could Dallas potentially bring him back into the fold at a lower salary? Sports Illustrated‘s Conor Orr released his 100 NFL predictions heading into the 2023 season, and Elliott landing back with the Cowboys made it on the list.

“There are seemingly not a great deal of other options for Dallas at this point, when you really look at it,” Orr wrote. “Behind Tony Pollard are a slew of unproven commodities. Pollard is coming off a serious injury. The run game is going to be instrumental to Dallas’s success. If I were, say, the Giants or the Eagles, I would swallow the $3 million to $6 million or so it would take to get Elliott out of the hands of a rival, not because he’s that good, but because he could represent the difference between the bottom falling out in Dallas or not.”

If the Cowboys indeed re-signed Elliott after his release earlier this spring, his role would certainly take a back seat to Pollard, who if healthy is presumed to take over the lead role in the Dallas backfield. After being the clear No. 1 runner for six of his first seven seasons with the Cowboys, would Elliott be open to returning in a different role?

Elliott is unlikely to head into the season unsigned, so there is still time for his market to develop heading into the fall.