Ezekiel Elliott’s Cowboys return feels like the ‘f—– best’ per QB Dak Prescott; teammates laud RB’s impact

FRISCO, Texas – What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I think about Dallas Cowboys running Ezekiel Elliott?

For many people, the answers would range from destroying defenders on early downs to breaking down the field for touchdowns. These were regular occurrences during Elliott’s prime, the first four seasons from 2016 to 2019, when he recorded more than 1,300 rushing yards three times, including two rushing titles in 2016 (1,631) and 2018 (1,434).

The answer to that question for Elliott’s teammates now that he has returned to Dallas on a one-year contract after a year away with the New England Patriots in 2023 following his early release from a six-year contract extension worth $90 million that he signed back. 2019 is simple. It’s his personality.

“The first day he came back, he put a big smile on everyone’s face in the locker room,” Cowboys seven-time First Team All-Pro right guard Zack Martin said Tuesday at mandatory minicamp when asked about Elliott’s return to Dallas after 2024. NFL Draft. “He has an infectious personality, maybe something we missed a few times last year. So it’s great to have him back.”

That personality was on full display shortly after his interview session with local media on Wednesday following the Cowboys’ minicamp practice. Elliott ran back to the middle of the locker room and started doing the Whip and Nae Nae dance moves while throwing a towel he used during practice into the laundry basket in the middle of the room. Elliott was smiling and laughing without a care in the world.

“[It’s] the best,” Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said of Elliott’s return and first full month back in Dallas.

“It means a lot. It means a lot,” Elliott said Wednesday at mandatory minicamp when he told of his teammates’ appreciation. “I definitely work to be that guy. Being recognized means a lot. The main thing is that we’re going to have fun, but we’re going to work. We’re going to get work. We’re going to move forward, but we have to have fun doing it.”

The defense duo entered the NFL together as part of Dallas’ 2016 NFL Draft class, with Elliott being selected fourth overall and Prescott coming off the board at 135th overall in the fourth round. The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback called the three-time Pro Bowl running back his “little brother” and a best friend, obviously” before the Cowboys faced Elliott when he was with the Patriots in Week 4 last season. Despite being absent during the 2023 season, those around The Star’s Frisco, Dallas facility feel Elliott “really never left” as he reintegrates into the Cowboys’ offense.

“It feels like Zeke never really left,” Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said May 30 at organized team activities when asked about Elliott’s first month back. “There are things that are different. He had some new learnings schematically, language, things like that. The basis of what he did. Frankly, probably his experience in New England [in 2023] learn another system… He learned it. It seems good.”

Elliott himself agreed with McCarthy’s assessment of what has been a smooth transition back to a place he considers home.

“I wouldn’t say I was worried about how I would feel when I came back,” he said when talking about returning to the team. “I was out for a long time, but I still talked to a lot of guys in the locker room. I still hung out with a lot of guys in the locker room. I kind of picked up where I left off.”

While Elliott’s return after a year away from the New England Patriots in 2023 means more competition for snaps and carries in 2024, Dallas running back Rico Dowdle, who served as Tony Pollard’s backup last season, flashed a big smile when asked about having the great fighter as a teammate for the second time with the Cowboys.

“Great. This is a guy, a vet who’s been here before. It’s great to have him back. Guy brings energy every day. Keeps everyone together,” Dowdle said at organized team activities on May 30, smiling when asked about Elliott. “That’s my guy. … This guy is a character guy, he’s going to create a memory every day. Nothing in particular (in terms of memories), just going out and having fun. We’re having fun, going out there and competing, but without any specific memory. He’s just a vet, leading the way, coaching us younger ones in the boardrooms and stuff.

What does Elliott bring to a running back position that currently has eight players entering training camp in Oxnard, California? The football life of a player whose 2,065 career is considered the greatest in the NFL since entering the league in 2016 and whose 8,904 rushing yards are second in the same period, behind only Derrick Henry’s 9,502 yards on the ground.

“Eight years,” Elliott said when asked what lessons he imparts to his younger teammates at the running back position. “Eight years, no matter how many runs, how many reps, how many blitz catches. Just the experience. I’ve seen almost everything. Just give them a little bit of my experience and any tidbit or nugget that might help them in their game. .We have a lot of good young players who bring a lot of good things to the table. I’m excited to work with them in camp and continue to help them develop.

Entering his ninth NFL season in 2024, Elliott has invested much more in his off-season conditioning, as well as his pre- and post-workout warm-up regimen. The diet is a little different nearing age 29 (his birthday is July 22) than it was when he was a 21-year-old rookie in 2016. Steak is no longer a regular component like it once was.

“I definitely did it. I definitely did it,” Elliott said when asked if his diet has changed over the years. “That metabolism is definitely slowing down. I can’t do as much Nick and Sam as I want. I definitely have to tighten that up.”

His pre-workout warm-up also looks very different than it did in the early stages of his career.

“I just need to do a lot more. My routine is much more complex,” Elliott said. “I have a lot of new exercises and things to help me prepare my knees, so I’m ready to go. It definitely takes a little more to warm up and prepare for these workouts.”

Part of her pre-workout routine involves warming up with a resistance band attached to her waist, much like associate athletic trainer/director of rehabilitation Britt Brown’s. Once Elliott is nice and warm, he ends the session with a hug for Brown, who joined the Cowboys full-time in 1996.

“Man, Britt’s family to me,” Elliott said. “Dealing with those knee injuries, he was there every step of the way and was a guy who always had my back. I appreciate you for being one of the best for me, no matter what.”

The nagging knee injuries that have set him back in 2022 – his final season with the Cowboys before his release, when he recorded Dallas career lows in carries (231), rushing yards (876), yards per carry (3.8) and yards from scrimmage (968). ) – will no longer be part of your everyday life in 2024, thanks to your new regime and your new schedule.

“I’m definitely not sorry about it,” Elliott said when asked about his knees. “I think, you know, I had those back-to-back years with those kind of unfortunate injuries, but I was able to get through last year injury-free. I feel good heading into the season.”

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones declared Elliott remains a starting caliber, NFL running back in the year 2024, following the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft in late April. That statement came despite Elliott putting together his worst NFL season with the Patriots in 2023, posting career lows in rushing yards (642), rushing touchdowns (three), rushing (184) and yards per carry (3.5). The 28-year-old winger agreed with Jones’ assessment, but isn’t as concerned about taking the lion’s share of Dallas’ rushing attempts, especially early in the season, as he once was.

“I still see myself as a starter in this league,” Elliott said. “But I also have to take care of my body and make sure I look good for when it matters. soccer. I will do whatever it takes to help this team win.

Dallas running backs coach Jeff Blasko said the Cowboys’ coaching staff’s approach to their running back from the committee’s perspective “may change weekly” and that it will be about “feel” in mid-May. Regardless, Elliott will likely have a familiar role in 2024: short-yardage battering ram. His career third-down talk rate on runs with fewer than five yards to gain for a first down is 72.2%, the fifth-best mark in the league among the 44 running backs who have at least 600 carries since Elliott entered the NFL in 2016 as the fourth overall pick.

“He’s obviously a killer in that department. [short yardage],” Blasko said of Elliott. “He is a guy who throughout his career can create himself in these situations. Everything doesn’t necessarily need to be blocked perfectly. He’s been kind of an eraser for that: covering up whether it’s a mental error or a fundamental error [blocking] error. He’s been able to be a band-aid, so to speak, to cover it up. I think there were times last year where having a bigger body type that could hammer, I think would have helped us.”