As the NFL’s top scoring offense last year, the Dallas Cowboys finished 14th in rushing (112.9 yards per game), led by running back Tony Pollard, who signed with the Tennessee Titans during the offseason. It was a swift fall from grace for the Memphis product after he was anointed RB1 following a tremendous 2022 campaign while splitting time with running back Ezekiel Elliott. Thrust into the primary role, he never recaptured that form.
Even with Pollard moving on, the Cowboys elected to invest zero draft capital at the position, instead handing out a pair of one-year deals in free agency, one to journeyman RB Royce Freeman and the other to Elliott, who returns after a season with the New England Patriots. They join last season’s No. 2 back, Rico Dowdle, and preseason darling Deuce Vaughn.
On paper, it’s a suspect unit, made doubly so by head coach Mike McCarthy’s well-established love of the passing game. Still, that doesn’t mean there won’t be fantasy value to be found. With that in mind, let’s look at Dallas’ backfield options for 2024.