The Dallas Cowboys and free-agent running back Ezekiel Elliott have mutual interest in a reunion, sources tell ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
While a deal between Elliott and his former club has not been reached, both sides are open to it, sources added.
Dallas likes the way Elliott finished the 2023 season in New England, where he played in all 17 regular-season games, and saw a significant increase in workload in the final five weeks of the year after top rusher Rhamondre Stevenson was sidelined with a high-ankle sprain.
Elliott, who turns 29 on July 22, had waited until August last season before signing a one-year deal with the Patriots worth $3 million. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Cowboys before being released last March.
Elliott played 51% of the offensive snaps and – running behind a mix-and-match offensive line — finished with a team-high 642 yards on 184 carries (3.5 avg.) with three touchdowns. He added a team-high 51 receptions for 313 yards (6.1 avg.) and two touchdowns.
The 6-foot-0, 226-pound Elliott was selected fourth overall in the 2016 draft by the Cowboys, Elliott led the NFL in rushing in two of his first three seasons (2016, 1,631 yards and 2018, 1,434 yards). A three-time Pro Bowl selection, he has rushed for 8,904 yards and 71 touchdowns in his career. He also has 356 catches for 2,649 yards and 14 touchdown receptions.