Ezekiel Elliott makes perfectly fitting decision in days after re-joining the Dallas Cowboys

Although he wore No. 21 in his first day back with the Dallas Cowboys, it turns out Ezekiel Elliott is changing it up ahead of the 2024 NFL season.

Per ESPN's Todd Archer and Cowboys' writer Patrik Walker, Elliott will in fact be switching to No. 15, which he wore at Ohio State and most recently, with the New England Patriots in his one pro year away from Dallas. 

And although I believe fans overthink jersey numbers, this time I think it's a perfectly fitting decision from Zeke, whether he did it inadvertently or not.

You see, the Ezekiel Elliott that will wear the Star in 2024 is not the same as the one who did so from 2016-2022. Back then, Elliott was the RB1. I mean, he was the fourth overall pick of his draft class. He received a $90 million deal, one of the last such contracts given to running backs around the NFL. 

In his first four years in the league, he delivered on the hype, dominating the gridiron en route to 5,405 rushing yards to start his career. 

Now though, things are different for Elliott. 

The Zeke that will wear the silver and navy this time around might not even start. He's a post-draft addition set to compete for snaps with Rico Dowdle in what's likely to be a running back by committee approach. He's a low-cost veteran whose new deal will be in the books for only $2 million. One that also has happened to lose some explosiveness after over two thousand career rush attempts.

Wearing #15 is the perfect way to represent that he's a different player this time around. But don't get me wrong: That's perfectly fine.

Elliott can still be a quality addition for the Cowboys, who opted to avoid reaching for a running back in the 2024 NFL Draft when it wouldn't have made sense to do so. And by the way, for the same team which revamped the analytics department last year and that likely values the position differently while putting more of an emphasis in the passing game and in a hopefully better run-blocking offensive line.

When Elliott takes the field with his new number, he'll be the same man but not the same player. 

*Note: For those curious, the news means Trey Lance will now wear No. 19, and no, Zeke's jersey change likely doesn't move the needle on a potential Stephon Gilmore signing.