Ezekiel Elliott reportedly returning to Cowboys after one season with Patriots

FOXBORO -- After spending the 2023 NFL season in New England, Ezekiel Elliot is heading back to Dallas. Elliot has reportedly agreed to a contract with the Cowboys, according to NFL Network.

The 28-year-old is returning to the team that drafted him fourth overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, following a one-year stint with the Patriots. Elliot split time with Rhamondre Stevenson out of the New England backfield last season, and rushed for 642 yards and three touchdowns on 184 carries. His 3.5 yards-per-carry average was the lowest of his 8-year career, but Elliott also caught 51 passes for another 313 yards and two touchdowns.

Elliot's first run with the Cowboys got off to an incredible start, as he was the NFL's leading rusher in both the 2016 and 2018 seasons. He was one of the league's best running backs the first six years of his career, before all the mileage (he racked up over 7,300 yards on 1650 carries over 88 games) caught up to him in 2022. 

But he's reuniting with a Dallas team that needs a lot of production in the backfield after losing Tony Pollard in free agency over the offseason. Elliott will join Rico Dowdle -- Dallas' projected starter -- on the Cowboys depth chart along with Deuce Vaughn and Royce Freeman.

New England's depth chart at running back now has Stevenson (who missed the last five games last season with an ankle injury), third-year back Kevin Harris, free-agent singing Antonio Gibson, and Jamycal Hasty.