It's been months since the Dallas Cowboys released former two-time rushing champion, Ezekiel Elliott. His name has still been prevalent, though, as he remains unsigned, and rumors of a possible return to Dallas keep being thrown around.

One person who is on board with the Cowboys reuniting with Elliott is his former teammate and the franchise's all-time leader in touchdown receptions, Dez Bryant. 

"You can't talk with casuals," said Bryant. "It only makes sense to bring Zeke back."

Well, Bryant isn't alone in that regard.

On the "In The Huddle" podcast, Brian Baldinger of NFL Network expressed his feelings about the situation with the Cowboys and Elliott. 

“Could Zeke take a lower pay structure and make it up in incentives? That’s an option,” said Baldinger. “The guy ran for 12 touchdowns last year. He’s still a productive player. He finishes drives. You want him out there on Wednesday in practice after a tough game on Sunday or Monday night. You just want him. He’s just one of these guys. He likes the game. And Jerry likes him a lot.”

Although Elliott isn't the player he used to be, Baldinger is right about the things he brings to the table. However, with the ascension of Tony Pollard, who led the Cowboys in rushing last season, and his $10.1 million salary after signing his franchise tag, Dallas simply wasn't going to pay Elliott $10.4 million in 2023 as well.

Before his torn PCL in 2021, Elliott had multiple 100-yard performances and was ranked third in the NFL in rushing, and last season he showed some bounce until his hyperextended knee. So, when healthy, Elliott still has some tread left on the tires.

Dallas has re-signed Rico Dowdle, brought in veteran Ronald Jones, and drafted Duece Vaughn since Elliott’s departure. But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made it clear after the NFL Draft about his thoughts on Elliott. 

"Ship has not sailed," Jones said, via the team's website. "We haven't made a decision. We've obviously drafted a running back, a little different style than Zeke, but it doesn't change. …For us, as far as our interest in Zeke, nothing we did today changes that."

With Pollard and Vaughn processing the speed element, Elliott’s more physical style between the tackles and in short-yardage situations would be a nice complement to that. However, if Elliott returning to Dallas were to take place, he would have to, as Baldinger mentioned, take a lower salary, especially with Stephen Jones controlling the bucks in Big D.

There's still a long way to go until the new season kicks off, so it'll be intriguing to see how these chips fall.

Feature image via Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports