Cowboys' cheapness makes Ezekiel Elliott reunion much more likely

The Dallas Cowboys have had an offseason to forget. Signing Eric Kendricks to fortify the linebacker room might be the lone win since free agency started. Amid a rollercoaster offseason, it seems the Cowboys are attempting to win back fans' support by kicking the tires on reuniting with one Ezekiel Elliott.

Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News reported late Tuesday that Elliott and fellow veteran Dalvin Cook are two names to watch as the Cowboys try to bolster their backfield before the 2024 NFL Draft.

Not only that, but "people familiar with the players' thinking' told Gehlken that Elliott and Cook have interest in playing for Dallas. Elliott reportedly still has a strong relationship with the Cowboys despite being released last March, and the same can be said for Cook and Mike Zimmer, who coached Cook in Minnesota.

Neither Elliott nor Cook inspires much confidence, but a reunion with the former seems much more likely for one reason: the Cowboys' cheapness.

A reunion with Ezekiel Elliott might actually happen thanks to the Cowboys' cheapness.

While the Cowboys released Zeke last year, they're on the hook for $6 million in dead money next season. Knowing how cheap Jerry and Stephen Jones are, their line of thinking could be "Well if we're paying him already, might as well have him be on the team, right?"

Who knows if that's true, but would you really put that past the Joneses? We certainly wouldn't. After all, they still think negotiating through the media still has value. That's seemingly their approach with Dak Prescott's contract negotiation after it was leaked on Tuesday that Dallas hasn't made Prescott an offer and there's zero urgency from either side to get a deal done.

The Cowboys have commendably altered their value of the running back position, but that might come back to bite them here.

Since Elliott is already costing them $6 million, that would explain why Zack Moss' $4 million price tag was too rich for them and why they didn't pursue big names like Derrick Henry and Aaron Jones. Even affordable vets like Dont'a Foreman and Cordarrelle Patterson were too expensive.

The frustrating part if that Zeke is worse than all of those players at this stage of his career. His 3.5 yards per carry was second-worst among all RBs last season and he ranked bottom six in yards after contact per attempt, missed tackles forced and explosive runs, per Pro Football Focus.

Dalvin Cook wouldn't move the needle, either, but an Elliott reunion feels inevitable since he's already putting a dent in Dallas' salary cap.

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