Mike McCarthy Bizarrely Explains Why Cowboys Enjoy Having Ezekiel Elliott Back

Karl Rasmussen | May 11, 2024

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Cowboys and veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott were reunited this offseason after agreeing to a one-year deal in free agency.

Elliott, who spent last season with the New England Patriots, will return to the Cowboys, the franchise that drafted him and where he played the first seven seasons of his NFL career.

On Saturday, coach Mike McCarthy was discussing the impact Elliott's return to Dallas can have on the team, and he honed in on a rather bizarre aspect of the veteran running back's locker room presence.

Rather than laud Elliott's durability or ability to rush across the goal line—which he did 68 times as a Cowboy—McCarthy opted to speak about the 28-year-old's old school tendencies in the locker room.

#Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy on what it’s like having Zeke back:

“He’s an old school guy. He’ll go up and smack a 60-year-old man in the ass and it hurts. It’s those kinds of things that you just enjoy him — not that I enjoy getting smacked in the ass” pic.twitter.com/2XWwCCGtTy

— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) May 11, 2024

"It felt like he never left," McCarthy told reporters. "He definitely puts you on guard because he's old school. He's an old school guy. He'll go up and smack a 60-year-old man in the ass, and it hurts. It's those kind of things that you just enjoy him–not that you enjoy getting smacked in the ass, but just enjoy his personality and having him back in the building."

Elliott's one-year stint with the Patriots was somewhat lackluster, as he scored just three touchdowns and had a career low 642 rushing yards. McCarthy and the Cowboys are hoping he can make a big contribution in his return to Dallas, both on and off the field.