Ezekiel Elliott spent the first four years of his career conjuring up memories of Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith.
He won two rushing titles and probably would’ve had a third if he hadn’t been suspended for six games in 2017 for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
But nagging injuries slowed his performance dramatically over the last two years, and the emergence of Tony Pollard and Elliott’s huge contract made him expendable.
The Cowboys cut him after the season, and he spent several humbling months waiting for an opportunity.
“Business is business,” Elliott said Wednesday. “Anyone that gets released or gets cut, it’s going to be tough mentally, but I mean, life is life. It is what it is. It’s just on me to get back on the horse.
“You can’t let negatives weigh you down. You’ve got to take a negative and turn it into a positive. That’s what I’m working to do.’’
Elliott signed a one-year deal with New England in August.
Now, just like Dorsett and Smith, one of the best running backs in franchise history will end his career wearing a different uniform. Dorsett played his final season with the Denver Broncos, and Smith played his last two seasons in Arizona.
How Ezekiel Elliott is preparing for Cowboys
Elliott, the third leading rusher in franchise history, and the Patriots play Dallas on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
“It’s gonna be a little bit interesting, a little bit different, going against guys that I played with for so long, but I’m not really trying to focus so much on that,” Elliott told reporters Wednesday. “I’m trying to focus on going out and winning the football game.
“I don’t really have a lot of time to be emotional. I have to prepare for the game and go out there and put my best foot forward, but there are emotions. I may do a good job of hiding them. There will be some emotions, but I’ve gotta go out there and perform.”
Elliott has not gained more than 1,002 yards in the past three seasons. Twice, he’s had fewer than 1,000 yards.
Last year, he gained 876 yards and a career-low 3.8 per carry. He scored 12 touchdowns and remained a physical, punishing runner, which made him effective in the red zone.
He scored 10 touchdowns on runs of six yards or shorter, including seven on one-yard runs.
“He was inspirational. His practice habits were off-the-charts. He’d practice like every play was for all the marbles,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on his weekly radio show.
“He has very unique skills as a running back, and, boy, he could lower that pad and lower that center of gravity. As far as a back the opposing team hates to tackle, I think he’s at the top of the list.”
‘He’s always going to be loved here’
But he was also the consummate teammate, which endeared him to teammates, coaches, and the front office.
Elliott taught Tony Pollard the nuance of playing the position and didn’t complain when Pollard’s performance demanded he share the workload.
He often attended the quarterback meetings to ensure he better understood the pass protection scheme for the week.
“I mean, he’s always going to be loved here,’’ Coach Mike McCarthy said. “The love that he has still today in the locker room is tremendous.
“In my time, our time together, he was clearly probably one of the most popular players. I mean, he’s a tremendous teammate. Great guy.’’
The Cowboys yielded 222 yards and 7.5 per carry in a 28-26 loss to Arizona last week. New England ran 44 times for 157 yards in a 15-10 win over the New York Jets.
Elliott had a season-high 80 yards on 16 carries. It was his best performance since a 92-yard game against the New York Giants on Thanksgiving Day. He backs up Rhamondre Stevenson, who leads New England in rushing.
It has been 30 games since he had a 100-yard performance, a streak he would love to end against Dallas.
“I think it’ll be a good experience,” said the former two-time NFL rushing champ. “I had so many good moments with the fans at AT&T Stadium, and I’m looking forward to coming back and reuniting with the fans.
“Even though I’ll be in a different uniform, I think it’ll be a good experience.”
Jean-Jacques Taylor is an NFL Insider for Sportsnaut and the author of the upcoming book Coach Prime: Deion Sanders and the Making of Men. Follow him on Twitter.