This past NFL season was the first in which Ezekiel Elliott did not play since 2015. Dak Prescott was still at Mississippi State, Dez Bryant was one year removed from the best year of his career, and new Cowboys DC Christian Parker was a DB coach at Norfolk State.

Needless to say, it was quite a long time ago, and yet that draft night debate of Zeke vs. Jalen Ramsey feels like yesterday. Elliott is only 30 years old, but barring a pretty shocking comeback, his career is all but over in the NFL. Nine years in the league, eight in Dallas, and over 9,100 rushing yards; that’s quite the run, even if we all expected him to last longer.

As the dust settles on Elliott’s career, it will be fascinating to see how history looks back on his career, given all the highs and some notable lows. Here, I’ll give you my ranking of the Cowboys’ all-time running back list to show where I have the former Ohio State star.

Emmitt Smith: The Undisputed Number 1, Both For Dallas & The NFL

Do I even need to say anything here?

If a Cowboys running back is ever able to even contend with Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith for the top spot in franchise history at the position, they’d be considered a top-five running back in the NFL’s history.

Smith played 13 years in Dallas, made four All-Pro teams, won three Super Bowls, was the league’s MVP in 1993, and is still the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.

He is clearly the undisputed best running back in both the Cowboys’ and the NFL’s history.

Tony Dorsett: Still Number 2, Despite Ezekiel Elliott’s Chase

For a while there, it looked like Cowboys legend Tony Dorsett would get passed up on the franchise’s list by Elliott, but he still holds the second spot in 2026.

The Hall of Fame inductee is second to Smith in just about every statistical category for the organization, though he does hold the record for longest rush with that iconic 99-yard touchdown in 1983. Dorsett is ahead of Elliott by one rushing touchdown and by a few thousand yards, though he never led the league in rushing like Zeke did (twice).

Some may make the case for Elliott over Dorsett, and he certainly would’ve had a case for it in my eyes had his prime lingered, but as things stand, this isn’t much of a debate to me.