If Ezekiel Elliott had his way, he would have never left the Dallas Cowboys.

But after he was cut following the 2022 season, the former two-time NFL rushing champ said the team made little effort to resign him in free agency, even on a reduced deal.

So Elliott played last season with New England Patriots, first as a backup before starting the final five games. He proved to himself and ultimately to the Cowboys that he had enough juice in his legs to be a starter again.

When Elliott re-signed with the Cowboys on Monday it the culmination of a singularly focused offseason.

“This was my priority. Doing what I could do to get back here,” Elliott said in an exclusive interview with the Star-Telegram at the Eric Dickerson Charity Golf Tournament Monday afternoon. “I have a lot left to accomplish here. I’m excited to get back with the fellas and chase that ring.”

He will be back in the building at the Star in Frisco, joining the team’s offseason program on Wednesday.

Elliott, who stands as the franchise’s third all-time leading rusher, said he has the same goals with quarterback Dak Prescott as they had when they came in together and took the league by storm in 2016.

Elliott was picked fourth overall in 2016 and Prescott was picked in the fourth round.

“From 2016, we’ve been working on building this franchise to get a chance to win the Super Bowl,” Elliott said. “That is obviously the priority. That’s the bar.”

Elliott said he believes he is better positioned to help the Cowboys reach than goal than he was in 2022 when he struggled with a torn PCL.

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