Ezekiel Elliott goes back to work with his teammates

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The Cowboys welcomed Ezekiel Elliott back to the team facility early Wednesday morning.

“It’s great to have him back,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “He was here this morning in our breakfast club meeting at 7:30 and went through the walkthrough, and I anticipate him practicing today. He’s been a big part of our team, and we’re excited to have him back in the fold.”

The Cowboys are about to begin practice, and Elliott will join them for the first time since the mandatory minicamp in June. He sat out training camp and the preseason while waiting for the long-term extension he secured Wednesday morning.

Elliott has worked in Cabo San Lucas, and in recent days he has had running back Marshall Faulk and quarterback Tanner Lee work with him.

“We anticipate him practicing, and we’ll see how he does,” Garrett said. “He’ll go through the dynamic warmup and the individual, and we’ll see how he’s responding. He’s in very good shape. He looks good, but he hasn’t been practicing with pro football players. So we’ll just see how he fits back in, but he’s a quick study; he’s a smart guy; he has an excellent football IQ. Se we’ll see where he is and adjust accordingly as we go.”

Despite Garrett’s measured comments, Elliott will start. He will play, and he will play a lot.

He has led the league in rushing two of the past three seasons and still led the league in yards per game in 2017 when he served a six-game suspension.

Garrett said Elliott’s return doesn’t change the team’s game plan, likely because the Cowboys already anticipated the star running back’s return.

“Obviously excited. Again, Zeke’s been a big part of our team,” Garrett said. “He’s so well respected by everybody in our organization and a really important player for us. So it’s great to get him back in here. I know they were working hard on it last night. I was in those conversations. Then, this morning, we woke up early and we found out the news, and we got him in here, and he’s had a good day so far.”