Current:Home > reviewsCowboys and running back Ezekiel Elliott reuniting after agreeing to deal, AP source says -WealthRise Academy
Cowboys and running back Ezekiel Elliott reuniting after agreeing to deal, AP source says
View
Date:2025-04-17 02:28:16
DALLAS (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys are reuniting with running back Ezekiel Elliott after agreeing to terms on a contract with the former two-time rushing champion, a person with knowledge of the deal said Monday.
Elliott returns to the Cowboys a year after they let him go in a cost-cutting move. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the agreement was pending a physical.
The Cowboys acknowledged during the draft last weekend that they had recently met with Elliott and his representatives.
Dallas didn’t draft a running back after moving from its starter each of the past two seasons, and owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he thought Elliott was still a starting-caliber back.
Elliott rejoins a team that includes Rico Dowdle, Elliott’s teammate from 2020-22, and second-year players Deuce Vaughn and Hunter Luepke. Dallas also added journeyman Royce Freeman this offseason.
Elliott, who will turn 29 just as the Cowboys report for training camp in California in July, spent last season as the backup to Rhamondre Stevenson in New England but started the last five games when Stephenson was injured.
Elliott won rushing titles in two of his first three seasons with the Cowboys and is the third-leading rusher in franchise history with 8,262 yards. He trails two Pro Football Hall of Famers — all-time NFL rushing leader Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett.
Tony Pollard, a fourth-round pick by Dallas in 2019, replaced Elliott last season but didn’t have an impact to match his $10.1 million salary playing on the franchise tag. Pollard signed with Tennessee in free agency.
In 2016, Elliott teamed with quarterback Dak Prescott to create a dynamic rookie pairing that led the Cowboys on an 11-game winning streak and the top seed in the NFC playoffs.
Prescott then edged out Elliott for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after the Cowboys lost to Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay.
Elliott never matched the 1,631 yards rushing from his rookie season. His second year was marred by a two-month court fight with the NFL over a six-game suspension involving domestic violence allegations. Elliott served the suspension nine games into the season after losing an appeal.
The 2016 All-Pro still led the NFL in yards rushing per game in his second season, then won his other rushing title with 1,434 yards in 2018.
Elliott missed the offseason and training camp in 2019 in a contract holdout, finally joining the Cowboys during the week before the season opener after signing a $90 million, six-year extension.
While Elliott scored 22 touchdowns combined over the final two seasons of his first Dallas stint, he surpassed 1,000 yards just once in three years after signing the expensive extension.
Elliott rushed for 642 yards and three touchdowns in what ended up being coach Bill Belichick’s final season with the Patriots in 2023. Elliott visited the Cowboys in Week 4, gaining just 16 yards in New England’s 38-3 loss.
While they won 12 games for the third consecutive season in 2023, the Cowboys missed Elliott’s powerful running style in short-yardage situations.
Dallas is in flux with its offensive line, having to replace two starters. Three of Dallas’ eight draft picks last weekend were offensive linemen. Elliott’s return, however, would bolster the club’s pass protection.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
veryGood! (21)
Related
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- 'September 5' depicts shocking day when terrorism arrived at the Olympics
- Morgan Wallen sentenced after pleading guilty in Nashville chair
- Drew Barrymore has been warned to 'back off' her guests after 'touchy' interviews
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- ParkMobile $32.8 million settlement: How to join class
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- 'Maria' review: Angelina Jolie sings but Maria Callas biopic doesn't soar
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Beyoncé's BeyGood charity donates $100K to Houston law center amid Jay
Ranking
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- US weekly jobless claims unexpectedly rise
- China says Philippines has 'provoked trouble' in South China Sea with US backing
- 'Mary': How to stream, what biblical experts think about Netflix's new coming
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- 'Mary': How to stream, what biblical experts think about Netflix's new coming
- Dick Van Dyke credits neighbors with saving his life and home during Malibu fire
- Drew Barrymore Addresses Criticism Over Her Touchiness With Talk Show Guests
Recommendation
Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
Stock market today: Asian stocks are mixed ahead of key US inflation data
Trump taps immigration hard
Through 'The Loss Mother's Stone,' mothers share their grief from losing a child to stillbirth
Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
Syrian rebel leader says he will dissolve toppled regime forces, close prisons
Are you tipping your mail carrier? How much do Americans tip during the holidays?