There's a reason Cowboys are so excited about Ezekiel Elliott return

The Dallas Cowboys are hyped about Ezekiel Elliott's looming return, as he signed a new contract with the team after one year away in New England. Elliott is no longer the player he once was, sure, but he still thinks he can lead the Cowboys backfield.

Elliott told the media that he returned to Dallas to "chase a ring," which doesn't line up with Jerry Jones offseason thus far. As FanSided's Zach Rotman noted, the Cowboys have gotten actively worse this offseason.

"On paper, this Cowboys team looks worse than the one that was embarrassed on their home field by the No. 7-seeded Green Bay Packers. They lost key pieces like Pollard and Tyron Smith, and could also lose Stephon Gillmore who remains a free agent," Rotman wrote.

Keeping Ezekiel Elliott made some sense for the Cowboys

As flawed as that argument may be in the long run, there are some statistics that actually suggest Elliott improved in his year away from Dallas. Elliott has over 50 receptions and 300 receiving yards for the first time since 2020. He was used in the passing game quite a bit, but didn't receive nearly as many carries. The majority of those carries came in short yardage and goal-line situations, meaning a simple stat like yards-per-carry isn't indicative of his overall impact.

The advanced stats show that Elliott was just as effective in short-yardage situations this past season as in 2022. So, Zeke didn't take a step back, and received far less carries. In short, this means Elliott should be refreshed heading into his age-28 season in Dallas.

Elliott will not be a thousand-yard back with the Cowboys. By no means will he return to 'Feed Zeke' status. But, Elliott can certainly serve in the same backfield as Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn while providing some value. As Blogging with the Boys writes, projecting Elliott's 2024 season isn't hard -- he's largely been the same running back since 2022:

"Assuming the Cowboys use him the same way they did towards the end of the 2022 season, and much the same way New England used him, Elliott figures to be a very reliable short yardage and goal line running back with plenty of reliability in pass protection. For a max of $3 million this year, that’s much easier to stomach than the last time Zeke wore the star," David Howman wrote.

The price point for a veteran running back like Elliott is worthwhile, especially since he is familiar with the Cowboys system.