The Dallas Cowboys have a long history of preeminent running backs across the NFL landscape. From Calvin Hill to Tony Dorsett to Emmitt Smith to DeMarco Murray and Ezekiel Elliott, the franchise enjoys employing a top-of-the-line option in the backfield.
That changed this offseason as the Cowboys have adopted a running back by committee approach. There is no star to carry the load and according to Pro Football, Dallas has the worst RB room in the league.
After moving on from their leading rusher each of the last two seasons, the Cowboys now turn to a group who doesn’t inspire much confidence. Gone is Tony Pollard, and back is Elliott, penciled in as the starter. Rico Dowdle and second-year runner Deuce Vaughn return from last season, and the team also signed veteran RB Royce Freeman to compete for carries. The transition from Pollard to a bevy of RBs didn’t impress PFF in their rankings.
32. DALLAS COWBOYS
After letting Tony Pollard sign elsewhere in free agency, and missing out on the top backs in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys re-signed Ezekiel Elliott to be their lead rusher.Elliott’s glory days came with the Cowboys, but his yards per carry average has dipped below 4.0 over the past two seasons, resulting in a career-low 69.2 PFF rushing grade in 2023. Behind him are Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn.
It’s hard to knock the analysis. Pollard had surpassed Elliott as the better Dallas running back a few years ago. Bringing back Elliott is good for nostalgia but he may not prove much of an improvement over the other options. Of those still in the room, Elliott had the most rushing yards last season with 642, and averaged just 3.5 yards a carry, the worst of his career.
On Thursday, the New England Patriots rewarded Elliott’s backfield mate Rhamondre Stevenson with a four-year, $36 million extension with $17 million guaranteed. His ypc dropped from 5.0 in 2022 to 4.0 in their 2023 offense where Elliott outproduced him in both the rushing and passing game.
The Cowboys considered bringing Pollard back, who offered a hometown discount, but they didn’t approach the deal he signed with his actual hometown team, the Tennessee Titans, and the team bypassed the best alternatives in free agency.
In the draft, Dallas also opted for other positions instead of selecting a RB, which could be a decision that haunts them in the 2024 season.
So it came down to LB Marist Liafau at No. 87 vs. a running back with a lower grade. Highly doubtful Liafau gets to the Cowboys in the fifth round in their minds. To get a pick in the 4th round, they would've had to given up a 2025 3, so they stood with what they had.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) April 29, 2024
The good news is the season isn’t around the corner and the team has time to add to the room. Training camp and the preseason will give the Cowboys a sense of where they’re at with the position, and if they’ll need to find a better RB as the regular season approaches. There are teams who might have an excess of talent at RB and perhaps a trade could happen down the road, or the Cowboys could add a RB who was released near the end of the preseason.
Unfortunately for Dallas, they will face a six of the top nine backfields in the league this upcoming season, according to PFFs rankings. The list includes three NFC contenders in the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, and the rival Philadelphia Eagles, who added Pro Bowl RB Saquon Barkley in free agency. That’s not good for a team who has struggled to stop the run in recent years.
The Cowboys reset their financial picture at position. It’s odd to see the team without a star RB, but things didn’t fall their way this offseason. Although Elliott is no longer a bell cow RB, he should be able to grind out yards behind a rebuilt offensive line.
[anyclip-media thumbnail=”undefined” playlistId=”undefined” content=”dW5kZWZpbmVk”][/anyclip-media]’sYou can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi