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Although it is rare, Ezekiel Elliott is not in unfamiliar territory. The Dallas Cowboys running back is just the latest notable player to return to the franchise that is most synonymous with his NFL career.
Elliott joins a list of notable players that includes, among others, James Harrison, Randy Moss and Larry Csonka. Harrison, who retired after one season with the Bengals in 2013, played nearly four more seasons in Pittsburgh after joining the team in 2014. Moss had a cup of coffee in Minnesota late in his career ( 2010), while Csonka was selected. finished his Hall of Fame career with a strong final season with the Dolphins, the franchise he had helped win back-to-back titles.
Ultimately, these three players didn’t make the top five second pass rushers in NFL history, a list Elliott will look to join this season with the Cowboys. Fortunately for Elliott, the roster includes two players who played his position.
5. TE Shannon Sharpe: Broncos (2002-2003)
Sharpe became an all-time great at the tight end position during his first go-around in Denver from 1990 to 1999. He won two Super Bowl titles during that span and was named to the Pro Bowl every year from 1992 to 1998.
After a successful two-year stint in Baltimore that included his third Super Bowl victory, Sharpe played his final two seasons in Denver. During his final season, Sharpe threw five more touchdowns than his next closest teammate, Rod Smith. Sharpe’s success that season helped the Broncos earn a playoff berth.
4. RB Ricky Williams: Dolphins (2005, 2007-09)
One of the most memorable comeback stories in NFL history. Williams had not two but three separate stints with the Dolphins, the franchise where he won the league title in 2002. After abruptly retiring in 2004, Williams returned in 2005 and teamed with Ronnie Brown to form one of the best running back duos in the NFL. .
A suspension and injury limited Williams to just one game with the Dolphins during the 2006-07 seasons. He came back strong in 2008, however, executing Miami’s surprise offense that contributed to the team’s surprising division title. In 2009, Williams, then 33, threw for 1,121 yards and 11 touchdowns. Williams, who is second to Csonka on Miami’s career rushing list, had another solid year in 2010 before finishing his career in Baltimore.
3. LB Jeremiah Trotter: Eagles (2004-06)
Trotter established himself as a Pro Bowl player when he moved from Philadelphia to Washington in 2002. Trotter played well in Washington, but he was released just two years into his seven-year contract.
Trotter was quickly signed in free agency by the Eagles, who were coming off a season where their run defense fell from ninth in the league in 2002 to 22nd. With Trotter back in the fold, the Eagles boasted the second-best defense in the NFL in 2004, which was also the year the franchise ended its 24-year Super Bowl drought.
Trotter, who was a Pro Bowler during the 2004 season, was named to the Pro Bowl again in 2005 after filling the stat sheet with 121 tackles, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles and 10 assists.
2. QB Fran Tarkenton: Vikings (1972-78)
It would be hard to argue with you if you said Tarkenton had the best second stint with a team in NFL history. After two Pro Bowl nominations during his first six seasons in Minnesota (1961-66), Tarkenton led Minnesota to three Super Bowls over a four-year span, from 1973 to 1976. During that span, he earned three consecutive Pro Bowl nominations and was named league MVP in 1975.
In his final season (1978), Tarkenton, then 38, led the NFL in attempts, completions and passing yards, as well as interceptions. He retired after that season as the NFL’s career rushing leader, a record he would hold until Dan Marino finally broke it in 1995.
So why isn’t Tarkenton #1? He was incapable of doing the one thing that the only person ahead of him on this list was capable of accomplishing.
1. Porter John Riggins: Washington (1981-85)
Riggins had back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons with Washington before retiring at the end of the 1979 season. He returned to the team in 1981, telling media at the time, “I’m a boarder, I’m broke, I’m back.”
Riggins wasn’t as good as he was before his brief retirement; he was better. He had one of the greatest individual playoff runs in NFL history in 1982. In four playoff games, Riggins rushed for 610 yards, more yards than he had gained in nine games of the regular season. He was named Super Bowl XVII MVP after setting Super Bowl records for carries (38, which still stands) and rushing yards (166, which has been surpassed twice) in leading Washington to a 27-game victory. -17 against Miami.
A year later, Riggins scored an NFL record 24 rushing touchdowns while helping Washington return to the Super Bowl. He again led the league in touchdowns in 1984 before retiring for good at the end of the 1985 season. Riggins was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
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