Ezekiel Elliott will have to earn his reps in second Cowboys stint thanks to one player

The Dallas Cowboys' all-too-quiet offseason was defined, in part, by the rather uninspired decision to reunite with Ezekiel Elliott. After a single season with the New England Patriots, the former rushing champ is back in the Lone Star State. By default, Elliott is expected to start in a weak and otherwise unproven Cowboys backfield.

There is built-in familiarity between Zeke, Dak Prescott, and the Cowboys' wider offensive apparatus, which is undoubtedly beneficial. On the other hand, Zeke wasn't even a starter for the Patriots last season, despite the underwhelming output of Rhamondre Stevenson. New England's O-line can't hold a candle to the Cowboys' front five, but Elliott's decline has been ongoing for a few years now. He averaged 3.5 yards per carry in 2023, a new career low.

We talk all the time about how short the RB shelf life is. Teams are mowing through RBs at record pace, not particularly interested in investing serious resources (financial or otherwise) in the position. Every season, we get a handful of impact halfbacks from the sixth or seventh round of the draft. It is hands down the position with the greatest parity and depth of comparable talent around the league.

That begs the question of why Dallas is so intent on rolling with Zeke, again. He's a retread, a nostalgia ploy. The price was low, so it's far from the offseason's most egregious move, but propping up Zeke as RB1 seems like a shortsighted mistake.

Zeke has been held out of preseason action, which essentially cements his status on the roster. But, the impressive training camp performance of fellow vet Royce Freeman has led to speculation within the fanbase. What if Zeke ends up getting squeezed out of the regular rotation by Dallas' less experienced, but more explosive options?

Royce Freeman applying pressure to Ezekiel Elliott in Cowboys camp

Freeman missed the Cowboys' preseason opener with an ankle injury, but returned for last weekend's bout with the Las Vegas Raiders. He tallied seven carries for 32 yards, which is a healthy 4.6 yards per tote. Nothing overly spectacular, but Freeman did showcase an impressive knack for evading tackles in the backfield and bulldozing his way through contact for extra yards.

Zeke, meanwhile, has slowed down considerably in recent years. Once too quick and powerful to contain at the line of scrimmage, Elliott is now easy for defenses to get their hands on. He still has strength and a fair bit of fight, but the simple truth is that Elliott's many years of intense usage have caught up to him.

Over at The Landry Hat, Jerry Trotta makes the case for Freeman as Dallas' second RB alongside Rico Dowdle.

"In the simplest of terms, Freeman is not easy to bring down," Trotta writes. "At 6-foot and 229 pounds, Freeman isn't known for his straight-line speed, but he is undoubtedly more elusive and explosive than the 29-year-old [Zeke]. It can also be argued that Freeman is more difficult to tackle than Elliott. It's certainly a conversation."

Freeman is 28, so he's not a spring chicken, but he has 471 career carries. Zeke has 2,065 by comparison. Father Time is going to catch Elliott much quicker, because that pursuit has been going on far longer.

Elliott deserves credit for his longevity and his tremendous accomplishments, but the Cowboys need to focus on putting their best foot forward. If Freeman is the more productive RB, which seems increasingly plausible, the Cowboys can't let sentiment get in the way of the hard, logical choice.