Ezekiel Elliott returned to the Dallas Cowboys at the end of April. During his time away from the team; multiple players left, including his presumed replacement, Tony Pollard, who joined the Tennessee Titans.

Of the players still there, Dak Prescott achieved a major milestone before the running back’s return: he became a father for the first time. During Friday’s practice session, Elliott got to meet Prescott’s child, Margaret Jane Rose Ramos, for the first time:

Speaking of Friday’s practice, the three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro and rushing yards leader also went viral after hurting his groin/crotch during ball-carrying drills:

One knock against the Cowboys this upcoming season is that, besides Ezekiel Elliott, their running game is poor. But he is at the very least, looking for something positive within that situation, like a sort of father/mentor figure to his cohorts.

Appearing on Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket’s The Hardline, he assumed the position of “scout” and broke down each man’s abilities. Starting with Rico Dowdle, Tony Pollard’s erstwhile-backup, he said:

“He’s made such strides every year since he’s been here. He looks really good, running the ball and in pass catching and pass protection. He’s becoming a veteran himself.”

Next up was free agent signing Royce Freeman, who was a Los Angeles Ram before arriving in Arlington:

“Big powerful back… great feet, strong guy. I think he’s also like a four-phase special teams guy.”

About Hunter Luepke, Elliott likened him to a Swiss Army knife:

“He can play fullback, tailback, Y [tight end/slot receiver]. Great player.”

Then there was Malik Davis:

“He’s been really good. I’m not sure how much he played last year, but he’s definitely getting better day by day.”

Snoop Conner got this assessment:

“He’s definitely got some great running abilities. I actually didn’t realize how fast he was, he got a toss the other day and he took off.”

Next up was the Cowboys’ only rookie rusher, UDFA Nathaniel Peat:

“That guy can roll, he’s impressed me a lot this camp. I think he did a 2-minute [drill] a couple practices ago, didn’t come out at all and didn’t mess up one beat.”

And finally, sophomore Deuce Vaughn, whose unique skillset Elliott said he would hope to see:

“Unbelievable quickness. Great inside-the-box, outside-the-box. Can run routes, he’s playing some slot this year… It’s gonna be exciting to see him use it.”

The Cowboys play their first preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams on August 11