My how far the pendulum swings. The Cowboys, stuck in a running back co-op seemingly forever this season, have now safely navigated into bell cow territory. Ezekiel Elliott’s struggles combined with Rico Dowdle’s maturation have pushed the latter into a lead role that most recently ranked the 26-year-old No. 6 on the latest bell cow report.
Dowdle has long looked like the top dog in Dallas, even before the season started. Those familiar with the South Carolina product knew it was injuries and availability that had been holding him back. What Dowdle lacked in name recognition he made up for in talent and versatility. It’s why local media spent little time discussing the reunion with Elliott while the national media couldn’t get enough of it.
Coming off his best yardage total and highest attempt total of the season, things aren’t likely to slow down for Dowdle any time soon. The 6-foot, 220-pound do-it-all back is primed for a run against some of the NFL’s worst defenses. With the exception of Philadelphia in Week 17, Dowdle has a favorable schedule ahead of him.
Working further in his favor is the growth of the Cowboys offensive line. Though left tackle remains a mess, Terence Steele at right tackle is back to his dominant self as a run-blocker, reserve guards T.J. Bass and Brock Hoffman are making the case to be 2025 starters, and center Cooper Beebe is even starting to flash.
Prior to Week 13 Dowdle was lacking explosive runs from his game. He fixed that against the Giants popping off multiple explosive runs he earned breaking and avoiding tackles at the second level. It moved his explosive run rate up from 6.3 percent to 8.2 percent on the season (per Sumer Sports) and has Dowdle positioned in that category ahead of players like Bijan Robinson and Aaron Jones.
For as good as this is for Dowdle, the Cowboys overall running game still leaves something to be desired. Even with Dowdle the clear bell cow over the past three weeks, Dallas ranks 29th in team EPA/rush and 25th in team success rate running the ball in that time span. The film is getting better, the individual runner is getting better, the only thing that’s left is more positive output. Based on trends, that too is likely to be on the way.
Related articles
- It’s on Dowdle to add the explosives to his game
- DeMarvion Overshown demands a customized role on defense
- 6 Cowboys top the charts in Pro Bowl voting
[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3]