Cowboys went to rather pathetic extremes to secure Ezekiel Elliott reunion

The Dallas Cowboys have brought back an old friend in running back Ezekiel Elliott. Zeke, who spent last season with the New England Patriots, had 642 yards rushing and three touchdowns while splitting carries in Foxborough.

The Cowboys draft went surprising running back-less, a move many thought was coming when Dallas passed on the likes of Derrick Henry and more in free agency. While an Elliott reunion does help the Cowboys run game some, it's not a direct, 1-for-1 answer to replace Tony Pollard, who left for the Tennessee Titans.

Jonathan Brooks, the best running back in a relatively weak class, went to the Carolina Panthers. Brooks went to Texas and would have been a tremendous fit in the Cowboys backfield, but Dallas must've had concerns about his longevity and previous injury issues.

Despite the wear and tear on Elliott's tires, he is still just 28 years old. With more carries -- and a familiar system -- he could be a decent No. 2 back behind the likes of Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn.

Dallas Cowboys rolled out the red carpet for Ezekiel Elliott

Per Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, the Cowboys wined and dined Elliott in hopes of convincing him to come back to Big D.

"Zeke Elliott has a physical this morning, as he and have been discussing a potential return for weeks," Schultz wrote. "A meeting last week which included Stephen Jones at The Star, followed by impromptu drinks with Jerry Jones at nearby steakhouse Dee Lincoln Prime, helped seal the deal."

While it's nice of the Jones family to treat Elliott like one of their own, was dinner and a movie really necessary here? Elliott is at the tail end of his prime -- if that -- and is a backup running back at this stage of his career. I'm curious to know what Jones would have done to land the likes of Henry and Ekeler.

Adding Elliott is a nice start, but it doesn't provide a real answer in the running back room. That's an area Dallas still has to add, and no amount of fine wine will help solve that problem.