Cowboys Draft RB, Not Ruling Out Zeke Return; Jerry Jones: 'Ship Hasn't Sailed'

The Dallas Cowboys drafted running back Deuce Vaughn, but aren't ruling out a return of short-yardage specialist Ezekiel Elliott.

The Dallas Cowboys signing the son of their scout - Deuce and Chris Vaughn - is cute and all. Tears of joy. National feel-good story.

Yadda, yadda and more yadda.

But after seven rounds and seven draft picks over three days, there remains one burning question: No offense to the 5-foot-5 Vaughn or, for that matter, Tony Pollard, but if the Cowboys lined up for a crucial 4th-and-goal at the 1-yard line tomorrow, who gets the hand-off?

The Cowboys had $90 million reasons to cut Ezekiel Elliott. And big one to bring him back.

"That ship hasn't sailed," owner Jerry Jones said about a possible Elliott return in the wake of the NFL Draft's conclusion Saturday night. "I haven't ruled out Zeke."

The third-best running back in franchise history by any metric, Zeke upon his release last month reportedly made a wish list of new teams: Eagles. Jets. Bengals.

During the draft, Philadelphia traded for former Lions' starter D'Andre Swift. The Jets - along with acquiring a quarterback named Aaron Rodgers - drafted running back Israel Abanikanda from Pitt in the fifth round. The Bengals did likewise, selecting Illinois' Chase Brown in the fifth.

Where does that leave Zeke? At only 27, and with 8,200 yards, 68 touchdowns and two rushing titles on his resume. And with one big fan. Still.

“He’s my best friend,’’ Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott told us recently. “Hell yeah I’m throwing with him. His mindset is just getting better, period. However he can. He’s working his a** off.”

The Cowboys could - should? - reach out to Elliott to return at a reasonable salary. Last season he gained a career-low 876 yards because of the rise of Pollard. But he was also the team's best short-yardage option with 12 touchdowns, and nothing the Cowboys did in the draft changes that.

"No, no no,” Jones said when asked if the draft negated a potential Elliott return. “Not at all. We haven’t made a decision. Nothing we did today changes that. As far as our interest in Zeke, nothing we did (in the draft) changes that.”

---

Follow Richie Whitt on Twitter

COWBOYS FISH REPORT … now a podcast! Join us inside The Star, ANY TIME!

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Dallas Cowboys?

Follow FishSports on Twitter

Follow Cowboys / Fish on Facebook

Subscribe to the Cowboys Fish Report on YouTube for constant daily Cowboys live reports!