Deuce Vaughn’s hamstring cost him two weeks of training camp and the preseason opener. Not ideal for a 22-year-old who can’t be at all sure he’s going to make the Cowboys’ 53-man regular-season roster.
Healed in time to take the field in Las Vegas, Vaughn sought to make the most of whatever hand he was dealt. He ended the night with just 34 yards on five carries, but he certainly showed enough to boost his stock heading into the final week and a half before cut day.
“I wanted to come out here and show what I could do,” Vaughn told reporters Saturday night following the team’s 27-12 exhibition win over the Raiders.
My 3 favorite Deuce Vaughn plays tonight ⤵️
– A-Gap run (toughness)
– Bouncing outside + a juke (elusiveness)
– Spinning out of a TFL and getting a first down (elusiveness)Dude's a good running back.#DALvsLV | #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/vCAeWcBOZs
— Lord Dylly 🏈 (@Lord_Dylly) August 18, 2024
It was an obvious improvement over Vaughn’s showing as a rookie. Expected to be an electrifying change-of-pace backfield option in 2023, Vaughn struggled to put up numbers. He logged 20 carries over the Cowboys’ first five games but totaled only 40 yards. Over the next 13 games (playoffs included), he got just three more handoffs, netting zero yards. He was inactive for nine full contests and didn’t get on the field in two others.
Doubters immediately wrote him off as a bust, too small to be anything more than a novelty in the NFL. But his production Saturday, in his first preseason action, suggested otherwise.
Even more encouraging than his 6.8 yards-per-carry average was that they didn’t all come on some shifty splash play that depended on the 5-foot-5 Vaughn getting lost behind the offensive line and then turning on the afterburners.
In addition to displaying the speed and elusiveness that made him a camp darling last year, the 22-year-old also got to introduce some power to his game, something he says he’s put serious effort into developing.
“Kind of a testament to all the work I’ve out in over this offseason,” Vaughn explained, “because one of the biggest things I wanted to do was get a little bit bigger, get a little bit stronger in between the tackles, because in this league, that’s where the hay is made- those four-yard runs, those five-yard runs that are a little bit powerful- and be able to put your offense in a better situation on second and third down.”
His head coach noticed.
“I thought Deuce had some nice touches,” Mike McCarthy said from the podium at Allegiant Stadium after the Cowboys win. “Really, him, Royce, and Malik: you know, I was trying to get those guys all a certain number of carries tonight; it was a focus. I thought he ran well, broke tackles, bounced the ball [outside], made some nice runs.”
Those other backs McCarthy named are Vaughn’s top competition for a 2024 roster spot. Ezekiel Elliott and Rice Dowdle are locks; neither played at all on Saturday. But Royce Freeman led all Dallas backs with seven carries, while Malik Davis matched Vaughn’s five attempts. And while any of them could conceivably be RB3, it’s unlikely that the team keeps all of them.
So Vaughn knows that every rep he gets is a statement- not only for the Dallas coaching staff, but maybe also for the other 31 teams in the league.
“The good thing is we don’t have to make any decisions now,”McCarthy said. “I mean, we do have another full week left. We knew this coming in with our roster, that we’ve got some tough decisions when we get down to the end.”
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To his credit, Vaughn sounded like someone who is well aware that the sentimentality that came with his emotional draft-day phone call last year in no way guarantees his spot in the locker room this year. And while he chooses not think of it as a camp battle, Vaughn- perhaps thanks to growing up with his father Chris serving as a Cowboys scout- understands that today’s teammates can become ex-teammates in the blink of an eye.
So it’s about being his best self, not beating out the guy next to him.
“I feel like for myself, it’s more important to just go out there and showcase what I can do. We have a great running back room. Every single one of those guys inside this room has a great skill set. I’ve learned a whole bunch from guys inside this locker room, the experience that we have. And for myself, it’s coming out here, it’s more like the foundation for myself to get back to … playing and getting ready for next week.”
One more week of camp, then a preseason game versus the Chargers. Vaughn hopes that doesn’t mark the end of the Cowboys chapter of his story. But he’s going to make sure that whatever happens, he’s improving every step of the way.
“Hoping to have some opportunity to show off some pass protection and stuff like that going into this next week, just showing up all the question marks that were given to me coming into this offseason,” said Vaughn. “The hard work that I put in to be able to showcase what I can do is what I want to shore up on going into this last week.”
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