If the goal was a reunion of the breakout battery of 2016, the Dallas Cowboys’ claims of being “all in” on the 2024 offseason might still hold some merit.

As Dallas management supposedly sleeps and big-name talents fall off the board one by one, the idea of running it back appears more prominent than ever. Sure, the Cowboys have let a few names slip through the cracks (i.e. Dorance Armstrong, Tyler Biadasz, Dante Fowler) but there are worse fates than retaining the main producers of three consecutive dozen-win seasons … the lack of ensuing postseason success notwithstanding, of course.

With the Cowboys waiting until after Halloween to buy their candy, going “all in” on the bargain bin may come to define their early spring affairs. That could well lead to a reunion with former top rusher Elliott, whose negotiations with his current employers in New England appear to be at a standstill, especially after adding former Washington Commander Antonio Gibson to their fold.

“Per a league source, the Patriots have not had conversations with running back Zeke Elliott about bringing him back for 2024,” Christopher Price of the Boston Globe reported this week. “That could change in the future–the free agent landscape can change very quickly. But right now, that’s where the two sides stand.”

With each passing hour where the Cowboys’ lone acquisition is a new deal for long-snapper Trent Sieg, Elliott arguably becomes more of a de facto necessity for Dallas, who is threatening to go into the upcoming draft with Deuce Vaughn as their top back.

Cowboys fans need little reminder of the team’s supposed spectator status with negotiations fully active. The team’s running back conundrum is particularly perplexing: moving on from Nashville-bound Tony Pollard was perhaps understandable but the Cowboys have kept their checkbook holstered despite rushers gaining new paydays across the league.

Dallas’ rebooted divisional slate, for example, features Saquon Barkley fighting for a new side, Austin Ekeler switching coasts, and former Houston Texan Devin Singletary moving on to a new enemy in blue.

A chance to pick up recurring postseason foe Aaron Jones briefly lingered after the Green Bay Packers inked Josh Jacobs but he wound up going to Minnesota instead. Even contract year breakout Zack Moss proved too tepid for the Cowboys to offer, as they apparently balked at the two-year, $8 million deal the Cincinnati Bengals eventually offered.

Maybe A.J. Dillon is really interested in Dallas? How about J.K. Dobbins?

Anyone with even the most casual interest in 2023 NFL football could tell you that Elliott isn’t what he used to be. But if Dallas is truly serious about extending the Dak Prescott era, he might be the best thing they can offer, even if they wind up replenishing their run game at the draft.

Apparently too proud to rebuild, Dallas has to consider Prescott’s mental state as he recovers from one of the most gut-punch, rollercoaster seasons a quarterback could ever have, one where MVP consideration was immediately rendered moot but another postseason heartbreaker. Getting his close friend and frequent collaborator Elliott back in the fold would not only help Prescott from a mental, familiarity standpoint, one that would make the road to redemption a little less bumpy and serve as a muted yet monumental assurance that the Cowboys are still his team.

It’s a small gesture … but surely it’s the thought that counts.