From the day he was drafted 4th overall in the 2016 Draft to the moment he was released by the Cowboys last offseason, Ezekiel Elliott was described as the heart and soul of the Dallas Cowboys.

Elliott spent the last year in New England and the Cowboys rode the Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle duo in 2023. Now, Pollard finds himself in Tennessee, Dowdle as the number one back on the depth chart, and Elliott remains a free agent heading into this month’s NFL Draft.

Every Cowboys fan, and Ezekiel Elliott supporter, wants to know if the Cowboys will reunite with Elliott.

Get the emotions out of the way. Everyone loved Ezekiel Elliott; the coaching staff, the fanbase, his teammates, and most importantly, the franchise quarterback Dak Prescott. Seeing certain Cowboys don the colors of another organization is painful. Cowboys fans experienced this with Emmitt Smith playing for the Arizona Cardinals, DeMarcus Ware playing for the Denver Broncos, and Jason Witten for the Las Vegas Raiders. So to see Elliott in a Patriots uniform was, for lack of a better word, awkward.

Emotionally, the Cowboys organization would welcome Ezekiel Elliott back with open arms. Jerry Jones, who has been reluctant to sign big-name free agents in 2024, is a big fan of Elliott. His infatuation for “Zeke” is well documented. They remain on good terms, marked by Ezekiel Elliott wanting to attend the Cowboys’ postseason games this past year, despite Dallas exiting early against the Packers.

While it would be a heartwarming story, is it a logical solution?

Elliott was one of the highest-paid running backs two years ago and his production was slipping in his final year in Dallas. Elliott didn’t have the same burst and Tony Pollard was emerging as the lead back. It was evident the tide was turning, so the Cowboys made the difficult business decision to release Ezekiel Elliott and make Pollard the outright #1 guy.

What followed was unexpected. Before fracturing his leg in January 2023 against the 49ers, Pollard was explosive and an injury of that severity can impact a running back’s production and confidence. Pollard also went from having 10 explosive snaps a game to being the main back and carrying the load at 20-25. Doubling your workload will minimize your explosive impact on a game. He’s no longer the change of pace back, even though that’s his style.

Pollard also isn’t built for the short-yardage situations, so when Ezekiel Elliott left the Cowboys, the team didn’t have that 3rd-and-1 go-to guy. Hunter Luepke was available at fullback, but he’s not Ezekiel Elliott when it comes to getting 3 yards out of 1.

As you can imagine, not having a reliable option in short-yardage situations can impact the swing of a game. It’s the difference between moving the chains and extending the drive, to punting and losing the time of possession battle. That’s what Dallas missed last year by not replacing Elliott to preserve Tony Pollard for those big-time plays.

But what separates Elliott from most is the difference he makes in the passing game. Prescott loves Elliott because of his infectious personality and their chemistry on the field. Elliott was described by former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer as “the best player he’s ever coached without the ball in his hands.” If Elliott’s number isn’t called, he isn’t afraid to disrupt the pass rush to allow Dak Prescott to stand upright. And with the uncertainty on the offensive line with the offseason departures of Tyler Biadasz and longtime Cowboy Tyron Smith, it might be a worthwhile transaction to help the passing game.

If you’re anticipating Ezekiel Elliott to revert to his 2016-2019 form, you should lower your expectations. The days of Elliott rushing for over 1,000 yards, 300+ attempts, and being the starting three-down back is over. But if you desire a short-yardage back who can give Dak Prescott extra time in the pocket with his pass-blocking technique, you should welcome Elliott back with open arms if the team decides to bring the former First-Team All-Pro back to Dallas.