4 Cowboys trade packages to end Ezekiel Elliott reunion before it begins

No need for a jersey Photoshop because we know what Ezekiel Elliott looks like in a Dallas Cowboys uniform. After his one-year stint with the New England Patriots, the former first-round pick for America's Team is now slated to return in a high-profile reunion, one necessitated by the Cowboys failing to address a dire need at running back in the 2024 NFL Draft.

However, the cold truth of the reunion with Elliott is that he's a shell of the player he once was. In his final season in Dallas for the 2022 campaign, he averaged just 3.8 yards per carry, though that was salvaged by 12 touchdowns. But it really dropped off in New England where Zeke managed only 3.5 yards per carry and only three scores.

With the return to Dallas only costing the Cowboys $3 million, it's expected that Elliott will be part of a committee with Rico Dowdle and perhaps Deuce Vaughn rather than a bell cow back. But given Zeke's recent shortcomings, even that is hard to be inspired by. That's why fans were calling for this team to draft a running back, and why even signing Elliott may not be enough to quell concerns.

Having said that, in the wake of the draft, we could see the Cowboys try to make some savvy moves in order to upgrade the running back room, particularly on the trade market with players who could be had for cheap in any trade. These four running back trade packages for the Cowboys would definitely make everyone a lot more confident in the running back position than reuniting with Ezekiel Elliott does.

4. A Cowboys-Panthers trade package for RB Miles Sanders

It was a precipitous fall-off for Miles Sanders with the Carolina Panthers after they doled out a four-year, $25.4 million contract to the former Eagle in free agency last offseason. Though he played in 16 games, he garnered only 432 rushing yards on 129 carries (3.3 ypc) with just one touchdown, though he did catch 27 passes for 154 yards too.

But some of that might be the fault of Carolina more than Sanders, a player who averaged 5.3, 5.5. and 4.9. yards per carry from 2020-22 for Philadelphia. The Panthers, however, seemed to have already moved on after using a high second-round pick in the draft on Jonathon Brooks. So that could mean a cheap price for the Cowboys to try and pry Sanders away, something like this trade package.

Yes, this doesn't seem like much, but this would ostensibly be a salary dump for the Panthers. Otherwise, they would be facing a potential $7.5 million dead cap charge to cut Sanders as a post-June 1 candidate, which wouldn't be favorable. A 2025 and 2026 late-round pick swap would get him off the books with some salary negotiations as well, and the Cowboys would be able to envision recapturing what Sanders showed with the Eagles behind a competent offensive line in a far better offense.

3. A Cowboys-Packers trade package for RB AJ Dillon

Coming into the offseason, it was widely expected that the Green Bay Packers would let free agent AJ Dillon walk while retaining Aaron Jones and perhaps either signing a cheap veteran backup, drafting a backup, or simply just letting Emanuel Wilson elevate on the depth chart. Instead, they did almost none of that, cutting Jones to sign Josh Jacobs and then re-signing Dillon. The one thing in that plan that did happen, however, was drafting a back, selecting MarShawn Lloyd in the third round.

While neither Jacobs nor Lloyd necessarily bring the same style of play to the table as Dillon, both offer more immediate upside, which could push Dillon out of the rotation. That could still intrigue the Cowboys, though, even if Dillon is a limited-upside option based on some strong-ish flashes in his career (4.1 yards per carry over his first four seasons). And with the new depth chart for Green Bay, a trade could once again be relatively cheap for Dallas.

Because there is less salary for the Packers to dump, the Cowboys don't swap picks here but don't send anything but a 2026 sixth-rounder. This would recoup some capital for Green Bay rather than just cutting him. Dillon, for his part, could essentially be a younger and better version of the role that Zeke is currently expected to play, which is a more enticing proposition for the Dallas offseason.

2. A Cowboys-Broncos trade package for RB Javonte Williams

Despite splitting time as a rookie second-round pick for the Denver Broncos, Javonte Williams looked like a potential breakout star entering his second season after registering 903 yards on 203 carries in his first season along with 43 receptions for 316 yards and seven total touchdowns. Unfortunately, though, he tore his ACL in 2022 and played only four games before returning last season and looking a bit lesser than he previously had.

However, that shouldn't fully diminish his potential and value. We've seen recoveries from ACL injuries, particularly at running back, sometimes be a two-year window. Moreover, there's no denying the rampant dysfunction in Denver, which didn't help anyone. But now Williams is entering the final year of his contract, the Broncos just drafted Audric Estime to go with Samaje Perine, and they could also use more future draft capital. The Cowboys could give them some of that with this trade package.

Is it the most valuable trade package again? Of course not, but it shouldn't have to be. Williams isn't a piece that truly seems to fit what the Broncos are looking for right now and they're likely to lose him for nothing in free agency next offseason. Moving up on Day 3 in 2025 while getting an extra late-round flier in 2026 could be valuable to fill out the roster while the Cowboys bank on the upside of Williams returning to form as he's further removed from his knee injury.

1. A Cowboys-Texans trade package for RB Dameon Pierce

For whatever reason, it appears that Dameon Pierce has at least somewhat fallen out of favor with the Houston Texans (even if that doesn't make a ton of sense based on what he's done). The team landed Joe Mixon this offseason and then drafted Jawhar Jordan on Day 3. Pierce would likely be the RB2 still if he stuck around, but it seems more like DeMeco Ryans and Co. are simply ready to move forward in another direction.

That should have Jerry Jones and the Cowboys front office's ears perking up, though. A fourth-round pick in 2022, Pierce hit the ground running in his NFL career, averaging 4.3 yards per carry on 220 attempts while totaling 1,000+ scrimmage yards and four total touchdowns. That ticked down in 2023 with a shocking 2.9 yards per carry average, but his role diminished as well and it seems as if he simply wasn't put in the best situation. Dallas could free him from that, however, with a high-value trade.

Based on reading the tea leaves with how the Texans feel about Pierce, I can't imagine a trade for the running back would take more than a fifth- or sixth-round pick to get a deal done. Pierce's rookie season is enticing enough to believe that, at minimum, he would be an upgrade over Elliott in a timeshare with Dowdle, though there's also the possibility of him simply emerging as a bell cow option. In either case, it's amove the Cowboys should certainly explore.