Dallas Cowboys fans have a lot to say on X about whether Ezekiel Elliott should return

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It must only feel like yesterday for some Dallas Cowboys fans as they watched Ezekiel Elliott terrify defenses in the NFL.

Between 2016 and 2019, prime Ezekiel Elliott was one of the most disruptive running backs in the game and the Dallas Cowboys were glad to call him one of their own.

Prime-time Elliott

In those four years the former first-round pick rushed for a colossus 5,405 yards, which earned him three Pro Bowl selections. The 2016 and 2018 seasons saw him become the leading NFL rusher and punched in a career high 15 touchdowns in his rookie year.

Elliott was released by the Cowboys in 2023 but right to the very end of his Dallas stay he always produced credible numbers. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in four of his six seasons with his lowest yardage season being a respectable 979 yards.

Soon after release he joined the New England Patriots on a 1-year contract.

Veteran running back Elliott produced a satisfactory season registering 642 yards, which may sound low, but he was utilised mainly as a bulldozing running back in 3^rd down and red zone situations.

Would Cowboys fans be open to Ezekiel Elliott return

Romanticising about the idea of Elliott for the Cowboys may be very nostalgic as they could see the feed the beast celebration one last time at AT&T Stadium.

When proposed the question on X by user @es3_09, the post received lots of attention receiving over 100k views, 1.3k likes and 55 quote tweets.

Cowboys fans had mixed responses to the return of their former star player. Some fans with a nostalgic mindset were open to the idea:

@Cowboy_Regg said, ‘Yes! Not as RB1 though and at minimum veteran salary. So basically not happening.’

@KBooth1914 had this take: ‘Yes… There’s no other answer… People speaking based on feelings, they don’t realise he’s a 6M hit to the cap this year and not even on our roster. Might as well sign him and get that year out of him, then look for a younger power back if he doesn’t stick around after that’.

However, some fans were not as optimistic as the other users.

Native_ace seemed keener on the chance of signing free agent Derrick Henry: ‘I love Zeke but noooo… if Jerry signs Zeke over Henry again I might March to Jerauld office myself for an answer’.

Some fans believe they have noticed the growth in Dak Prescott in the absence of Elliott.

@Dawn_Bishop 35 had this opinion on the matter: ‘Tricky question because the running game was good with Zeke but Dak had his best season without him’.

What are the options for Dallas

For this to be a practical move for the Cowboys, they can sign their former star to a one-year deal as they are still paying off dead money in his name.

Using Elliott as a hard yard running back in short yardage and punching the ball into the end zone situations will be a viable option.

Although, if they used him in the running game in hope of replicating his former high-rushing seasons, then it is more likely the franchise will steer clear of him.

With Henry hitting free agency, America’s Team are second favourites to secure his services for next season, falling behind in the race to the Baltimore Ravens.