Cowboys QB Makes Key Concession After Ezekiel Elliott’s Return

Getty Images

Ezekiel Elliott will wear No. 15 next season with the Dallas Cowboys.

Ezekiel Elliott will look a little different when he makes his highly-anticipated return to the Dallas Cowboys backfield.

Elliott will not be wearing jersey No. 21 when he takes the field next season. He’ll instead be wearing No. 15, which he previously wore in college and during his one-year stint with the Patriots. The news comes via Todd Archer of ESPN, who added that QB Trey Lance was willing to give up the number for Elliott.

“Hold off on buying a No. 21 jersey for Ezekiel Elliott. Told he will be moving to No. 15, which he wore in New England and Ohio State,” Archer tweeted on Wednesday, May 1. “Trey Lance will move to No. 19. Not sure it means much at the moment for the return of Stephon Gilmore, who wore 21 last year, just yet.”

Elliott is third on the Cowboys’ all-time rushing list and made a name for himself wearing No. 21 in Dallas. But he feels like his return to Dallas deserved a new number.

“I just kind of look at it as a different era,” Elliott said on Wednesday, May 1. “Since they made the rule that running backs could wear the single digits or the teens, I knew I wanted to switch.”

It’s unknown if Elliott will have to pay Lance for the number. But Elliott is a vet and will likely get the 23-year-old QB something for giving up the number.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott Out to Prove He Can Still Dominant

Elliott spent last season with the New England Patriots. He registered career lows in carries (184), rushing yards (642), rushing touchdowns (3), yards per carry (3.5), yards from scrimmage (955), and total touchdowns (5).

That said, the Patriots struggled, finishing the season with a 4-13 record. Elliott led the team in both rushing yards and receptions. Elliott may not be the rushing champ again, but he feels like he’s more than capable of holding down a lead-back role.

“I think I still am a dominant guy,” Elliott said. “I’ve got to go out there and prove that. That’s the motivation. I think you all know how I feel about competing and leaving it all out there for my team.”

Elliott didn’t shy away from his expectations for the Cowboys, who have reeled off three consecutive 12-win seasons. He wants to win a Super Bowl.

“I’ve got unfinished business,” Elliott said. “I’m here to chase the ring.”

Cowboys Will Not Pick Up Trey Lance’s 5th-Year Option

The Cowboys made another key decision regarding Lance, declining to pick up his fifth-year option, per ESPN.

Lance was the third overall pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2021. Lance has appeared in eight games so far in his career, registering 797 yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. The Cowboys traded for Lance last season, sending a fourth-round pick to the 49ers.

It’s not a surprising decision by the Cowboys. Lance isn’t positioned to be the quarterback of the future in Dallas, with the Cowboys still hoping to work things out with Dak Prescott. The fifth-year option would have cost the Cowboys a fully guaranteed $22.4 million during the 2025 season.

Lance will battle for the No. 2 QB job with Cooper Rush. The Cowboys do not have a quarterback under contract beyond this season.

J.R. DeGroote covers the Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Lakers for Heavy.com. He covered local and statewide sports as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and has decades of experience in digital media with previous stops at SB Nation and Bleacher Report. He has won multiple state, regional and national honors for sports reporting and photography. More about J.R. DeGroote