Running back Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys would like to work together on a future at The Star. And that’s not “fake news.”

The Dallas Cowboys have a number of issues to deal with as we enter the offseason. One glaring decision involves running back Ezekiel Elliott.

“I want to be here,” Elliott said at season’s end. “I don’t have a crystal ball and can’t tell the future. But I definitely want to be here.”

CowboysSI.com has reported since August that the Cowboys would like to retain Elliott under the terms of a restructured – and much more cap-friendly – deal.

So the Cowboys have a tentative desire to keep Zeke. And Zeke has a tentative desire to stay. That adds up to a willingness to create a change in Elliott’s contract … even amid a rumor that Zeke’s dad, Stacy Elliott, has stated that the running back taking a paycut is “fake news.”

What’s next?

For the first time in the two-time rushing champ’s big contract, there is now an escape hatch.

It would be a dead cap hit of $11,860,000 for Dallas should they cut/release him. He currently has a $16.7 million cap hit next season, meaning only savings of $4,860,000 would happen if they move on.

Do the Cowboys want to “spend” $12 million to not employ Zeke? We still say they two parties will likely work to restructure his current deal. … though the NFL Draft (and Bijan Robinson?) might factor in, too.

Many see the need for Elliott on the offense now as irrelevant given Tony Pollard’s rise. We get that. Zeke had career lows in rushing yards, yards per attempt, yards per game, and total rushing attempts. But beyond the fact that Pollard now has a broken leg, Elliott retains NFL value as a power back.

Will another team take on his contract to be a “power back”? Unlikely.

Do the Cowboys and Elliott share a goal of making it work at The Star? No promises. But the desire to do so is not “fake news.”