Ezekiel Elliott has chosen a new number with the Dallas Cowboys.

On X/Twitter, the Cowboys announced that Ezekiel Elliott will wear the No. 15 — the same number he wore at Ohio State and for the New England Patriots last season. “Zeke” wore No. 21 in each of his first seven seasons with Dallas.

fifteen

pic.twitter.com/ZfajIZbVOe

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) May 1, 2024

Backup quarterback Trey Lance wore the No. 15 in his first season with Dallas, but he’ll now wear the No. 19.

After meeting with the two-time rushing champion last week, the Cowboys brought back Elliott on a one-year deal. The Ohio State product was released by Dallas last year in a cap-saving move after losing the RB1 role to Tony Pollard.

Ezekiel Elliott contract breakdown: 1 year, max $3m

Signing bonus: $375k (guaranteed)
Base: $1.25m (guaranteed)
Cap number: $2m
Active roster bonus: $375k total

Incentives:
1,100 scrimmage yards + playoffs – $250k

10 touchdowns + playoffs – $250k
51% playtime + playoffs – $500k

— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) May 1, 2024

The No. 21 was occupied last season by Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore, but the Cowboys did not re-sign the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year. Currently, nobody on the Dallas roster occupies the No. 21.

Ezekiel Elliott won the NFL rushing titles in 2016 (his rookie year) and 2018. For his career, he has 8,904 rushing yards and 71 touchdowns to go along with 356 receptions for 2,649 yards and 14 receiving TDs.

Ezekiel Elliott Can Still Be A Useful Piece In Cowboys Offense

Elliott is definitely past his best-before date, but the soon-to-be 29-year-old showed in New England last year that he can still be a productive role player.

As the No. 2 RB in New England behind Rhamondre Stevenson, Elliott still posted 955 yards of offense and five touchdowns. Those numbers are especially admirable when you consider how awful the New England offense was a year ago.

Elliott is still one of the best pass-blocking running backs in the game, and he had 12 rushing TDs in Dallas two years ago. He’s still reliable in goal-to-go situations and will boost locker room morale as the Cowboys try to bounce back from another humiliating and early postseason exit.