The Cowboys running back is known to crack a loud sound during meetings when finding the atmosphere too serious or stuffy. His high-pitch, almost birdcall-like scream can strike at any time. For example, fans regularly shuffle in and out of the team headquarters on guided tours.
The occasional group is not spared.
“He knows how to break the ice in a room,” running back Malik Davis said. “He might scream or make a random noise, just to get people laughing and remind people that you’re here to have fun. … Everybody knows [the sound]. It’s like, ‘Ahh-uhhhh!’
“He does it all the time. When we got people in here visiting and they’re looking at the wall and stuff, he’ll walk past and do it.”
Elliott turned 29 on Monday. His celebration carries into Tuesday when the Cowboys travel to training camp in Oxnard, Calif. It is fair to question what Elliott can contribute in his ninth NFL season and eighth with Dallas. Any fair attempt to answer that question requires weighing his entire impact.
It extends off the field.
Related:What to know about Dallas Cowboys training camp: Start date, latest news and more
To evaluate him on it, The Dallas Morning News reviewed coaches’ film of all 539 offensive snaps and 239 touches from Elliott’s 2023 season with the New England Patriots. The study showed a player who clearly demonstrated he can be effective with a moderate workload in a committee-style role.
That is what the Cowboys envision for him in 2024.
Elliott still showed good contact balance as a runner. He still demonstrated sound vision, patience and lateral movement. The combination helps him create creases in short-yardage and goal-to-go situations as exemplified on a 6-yard touchdown in Week 17 against the Buffalo Bills.
Dallas felt his absence in that area.
“I think there were times last year where having a bigger-body type that can hammer it home would have helped us,” running backs coach Jeff Blasko said. “Absolutely.”
Elliott reached 20.25 mph, according to Next Gen Stats, on a 74-yard catch-and-run touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders. A penalty reversed that score. But without gaslighting the fact Elliott has lost explosion from his prime, which shows up throughout his tape on gains that would be longer with more juice, the fact that Elliott timed faster than his replacement Tony Pollard’s speed maximum for 2023 (20 mph) is an interesting footnote.
He is still stout in pass protection. He still can be seen hurdling defenders; he scaled Denver Broncos cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian in Week 16 en route to a 16-yard touchdown.
These positives are all recognizable from his first Cowboys tenure.
Each comes with a caveat: The player who appeared on film last year is not guaranteed to be the exact player in 2024. Injuries can happen. A drop-off from age and another season in the league is possible. That said, the film supports Elliott’s return on a modest one-year contract.
The Cowboys currently have eight running backs on their roster.
They will sort out in Oxnard and the preseason how exactly their backfield will look in Week 1.
Related:A look at the Dallas Cowboys’ 2024 running back room, returning Ezekiel Elliott included
“We’re just going to have to be cognizant of that play time,” Blasko said of Elliott. “There’s a piece of it where you want to keep the guys fresh throughout the course of the year. That 17th game is a big deal. That’s part of our approach, too, when we’re talking about that committee-type approach.
“It’s a long season. [We’re focused on] maximizing his strengths but at the same time not burning him out and making sure that he’s ready for the long haul.”
Within the Cowboys’ building, there seems unanimous regard for Elliott as a person.
They are pleased to welcome him back.
Elliott is a rare bird, the class clown who doubles as valedictorian. He logs extra time in meetings with the quarterbacks. He is diligent in his rehabilitation, including extra work before every practice with director of rehabilitation Britt Brown. He’s quick to mentor younger running backs. In four seasons alongside Pollard, there is no known account of him complaining about a lack of touches or involvement amid Pollard’s rise.
And yet, there is the silliness. The random screams. The practical jokes. The slaps to teammates’ and coaches’ rears, of whom 60-year-old coach Mike McCarthy is not excluded.
“And it hurts,” McCarthy said.
Tight end Jake Ferguson, considered the go-to person in the Cowboys’ locker room for creative celebrations and dirty jokes, was careful not to disclose the nature in which Elliott keeps teammates loose, including pregame.
The deference from Ferguson is like seeing Richard Pryor blush.
“He’s a character,” Ferguson said. “I’ve never seen anything I like it. I thought I was crazy. Turn it up 10 more notches. Truthfully, I don’t think I have anything appropriate for the paper. [But] it is funny.”
These days, defenses won’t load the box as frequently to contain Elliott.
Describing his presence as a teammate, however, is no easier to put in a box.
The Cowboys went to training camp without Elliott in 2023. While they moved forward and embraced the running backs they had, there was an absent felt, one more noticeable even than the physical runner with a knack around the goal line.
“It’s tough for me to explain,” quarterback Dak Prescott said. “He’s truly just the best. …It’s different what he does for me than what he does for anybody else. You know what I mean? What he does for me is not intended for anyone else. That’s a brother in the backfield for me. …
“He’s a huge connector of people, in a good way and the right way. Nobody does better at having fun and snapping their fingers and being completely locked in and detailed. Nobody does it better. …I think that allows everybody almost to come in and relish their own individual personality. He invites it out of people that, at the end of the day, we’re just here to work and get better.”