With Tony Pollard no longer in the picture, the Cowboys are eyeing a committee approach at running back for the 2024 campaign. Old friend Ezekiel Elliott is back, but the veteran isn’t expected to carry a full workload during his age-29 season. Behind the veteran, the organization is rostering a number of intriguing but inexperienced options, leading some to wonder if the team could look to add to the position.
Jon Machota certainly shares that sentiment, with The Athletic reporter opining that the Cowboys will make “at least one more addition” to their running backs room. The Cowboys will likely take their time evaluating their current options, so Machota suggests an addition could even come “a few games into the season.”
If the team does roll with their current grouping, Machota believes Elliott will ultimately lead the team in touches, followed closely by Rico Dowdle. The former UDFA is coming off his most productive season in 2023, having collected 505 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns. He also showed some talent in the receiving game, hauling in 17 of his 22 targets.
Behind that duo, the rest of the depth chart is “completely up in the air,” per Machota. That job could go to any of Royce Freeman, Malik Davis, or Deuce Vaughn, although the team is getting especially creative with the youngest option in that grouping. The team website recently noted that Vaughn was spotted taking reps as a slot receiver during OTAs, perhaps opening even more snaps for the second-year pro. The 2023 sixth-round pick got into seven games as a rookie, collecting 80 yards from scrimmage on 30 touches. At five-foot-six and 176 pounds, Vaughn certainly doesn’t profile as an every-down back, but the Cowboys could look to utilize him as a change-of-pace Swiss Army Knife.
Dalvin Cook is the biggest name remaining on the RB market, with the likes of Cam Akers, Joshua Kelley, Latavius Murray, Kareem Hunt joining him in free agency. If the Cowboys were interested in any of that grouping, they likely would have already added a player to their RB room. More likely, the front office is waiting for RBs to shake loose throughout the preseason.
How Ezekiel Elliott only 29!!??
I feel like he’s been in the league forever!
USA vs Japan in IFAF U20 World Championship semifinals tomorrow
I think IFAF has a chance to grow into something cool like Olympic football
Right now they just need a tv deal other than FUBO and the IFAF website where the game will be streamed for free Wednesday at 2pm ET
The cowboys blew it and they’ll learn that come football season. They had plenty of elite RB prospects fall to them in the draft and instead took a linebacker a few rounds early. Typical Jerry Jones moves
You’re wrong, UrkelBreath. Many teams are getting at least acceptable yardage with a less than “elite RB.” Our running game will be along those lines and you never know, they might trade for or pick up a discarded, yet acceptable, RB at training camp cut time, or Dalvin Cook reads obvious signs on the wall for him, or whatever. There’s always one or two RB’s every season in the league that come out of nowhere to perform much better than expected.
The offense will ride on Dak’s arm, in CeeDee’s and Ferguson’s hands, etc. In fact, that’s why they needed to maneuver around to get early two OL’s more for stepping up in the pocket purposes as opposed to opening holes for RB’s (though they’ll also come in handy for the run game too). After that, they needed a LB far more than they needed a RB, especially with Zimmer’s defense. DQ’s use of a Safety as LB defense had long been decoded by even many of our weaker opponents to our vast disadvantage all season long (and a fair amount the year before by the better teams). I wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d have gone for the LB earlier with their first 3rd rounder if they had only needed one OL.
You’re wrong, UrkelBreath. Many teams are getting at least acceptable yardage with a less than “elite RB.” Our running game will be along those lines and you never know, they might trade for or pick up a discarded, yet acceptable, RB at training camp cut time, or Dalvin Cook reads obvious signs on the wall for him, or whatever. There’s always one or two RB’s every season in the league that come out of nowhere to perform much better than expected.
You’re absolutely right Steve Urkel.
Calvin Hill should be expecting a call from Jerry Jones any day now 🙂
I am not busy in the fall, give me a call Jerry. I am all in!
Historically this team has always had good, many times great, runners. On paper, this is the weakest corp of runners they have fielded in a long time. Perhaps they see something the rest of us don’t. The cap really constrained them in the off-season.