Jerry Jones on whether Ezekiel Elliott could be Cowboys' lead back

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones certainly is not downplaying his interest in one player he knows very well.

Jones spoke at length on Friday about a possible reunion with veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott. Jones admitted that the two sides met prior to the NFL Draft, as had been previously reported.

Jones was happy to talk up Elliott, saying he was impressed with how the running back finished last season with New England and even suggesting he could be good enough to perform as a lead back.

“Yes,” Jones said when asked if Elliott was capable of operating as a starter, via Garrett Podell of CBS Sports. “We talked about this last night too: Is Zeke someone of interest? Yeah, he is someone of interest. I saw him play his last games with New England. I thought he played well enough to be a starter.”

The Cowboys have been linked to a possible pursuit of Elliott for a while. After losing Tony Pollard to free agency, there are opportunities in the Dallas backfield, as veteran Royce Freeman is the only addition so far. Elliott could still take a lot of those carries.

Elliott turns 29 in July, and finished 2023 with 265 rushing yards in his last six games as his workload increased. Jones seems legitimately interested in a reunion, so it would not be a surprise at this point.