After releasing Ezekiel Elliott in the 2023 offseason, it seemed clear the Cowboys were going to target a replacement in the draft. The 2023 class was loaded with running back prospects. Each round offered different options for NFL teams. From bell-cows to change-of-pace, pass catchers and short-yardage specialists, the draft offered it all.
Retaining Tony Pollard on a franchise tag, Dallas had their RB1 locked in for the upcoming season but they needed someone to pick up the slack left by Elliott’s departure. The stoutly built Elliott had long been a battering ram for the Cowboys run game. He was durable and consistent.
Low and behold, Dallas did indeed select a RB over draft weekend. In the sixth round they picked Kansas State’s Deuce Vaughn in one of the best TV moments of the entire event.
Amassing 3,604 rushing yards, 1,280 receiving yards and 43 total offensive touchdowns over a three-year career, Vaughn was a proven weapon with a versatile and explosive skillset.
As a pro, Vaughn offers a lot of things to the Cowboys’ offense. What he doesn’t offer is a clean replacement to Elliott. Many of the snaps left by Elliott are the tough yards between the tackles. They are short yardage conversions and critical pass protection plays – plays that don’t particularly suit Vaughn’s specific skillset.
The Cowboys had their pick of the litter. As mentioned before, the 2023 NFL draft was loaded with RB prospects. If Dallas wanted someone to replace Elliott’s role, they had roughly a dozen players to choose from. But they didn’t. They picked the 5-foot-6, 172-pound Vaughn.
Vaughn is a player who can be explosive and elusive. He’s a player who thrives in space. He can be a pass-catcher around the line of scrimmage or out of the backfield. He’s someone who avoids tacklers better than he fights through them. He’s a lot more like Pollard than Elliott.
If Vaughn was a replacement for anyone, it’s probably Pollard, who’s scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 10 months, not Elliott, their long-time thumper.
Running backs don’t just regress after their first 4 seasons but the drop into negative RYOE territory making a second contract a risky proposition (per @tejfbanalytics ) pic.twitter.com/dU3dHM6GkW
— Reid D Hanson (@ReidDHanson) March 18, 2023
Perhaps the Cowboys learned their lesson with Elliott. That giving second contracts to RBs is a dangerous business that rarely pays off. Maybe Dallas is content with letting Pollard leave after the 2023 season and has Vaughn waiting in the wings to replace his production.
In an underrated move to many, the Cowboys signed RB Ronald Jones in free agency. The 5-foot-11, 208 pound veteran isn’t a bruiser, by any means, but he’s a far better short-yardage option than Vaughn. Maybe he’s the top option to replace Elliott’s tough yards?
It’s difficult to tell exactly what the Cowboys front office is thinking but the RB they brought in this offseason better resembles Pollard than Elliott and could signal their intentions of letting Pollard leave in 2024.
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