The Dallas Cowboys have one of the best backfields in the league thanks Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. Mixing in the rushing prowess of quarterback Dak Prescott, the club has the recipe to gain over 2,000 yards on the ground for the fourth time in five years. However, if either of the two main runners were to miss time, who would step in in 2020?
Whether or not Dallas will keep a third running back on the active and game-day rosters, and who that could be, are some the few remaining questions Dallas has on the offensive side of the ball. One of the leading candidates to seize this potential opportunity is Rico Dowdle, a 2020 undrafted free agent who played his college ball at South Carolina.
Before the NFL
Dowdle began his journey to the NFL at A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville, North Carolina. Dowdle quickly became the teams workhorse, but entering his final year at Reynolds he switched to quarterback out of necessity.
As a senior in 2016, the future Cowboys running back led the area in many statistical categories and was the Western North Carolina Player of the Year, as he accumulated 2,545 rushing yards and 51 rushing touchdowns. Dowdle would add another 1,434 yards passing, along with 11 touchdowns. Throw in a receiving score, and Dowdle’s 63 total touchdowns were a regional record.
His success at the high school level garnered Dowdle interest from scouts across the nation. 247Sports ranked Dowdle as the No. 24 player in North Carolina and the No. 35 running back in the nation.
The Asheville native had multiple scholarships from Power 5 programs, but he ultimately chose to play college football in Columbia, South Carolina.
Dowdle had a successful year in his first season as a Gamecock where he rushed for a team-high 764 yards on 133 carries (5.7 yards per carry) in just seven starts. In one of his last games as a freshman Dowdle exploded for 226 yards, the sixth-highest mark in South Carolina history.
After a stellar initial season the explosive freshman was unable to build on the momentum he created, as he broke his leg and missed five games as a sophomore.
The next season as a junior Dowdle again led the team in rushing with 654 yards, but an ankle injury cost him the better part of three games.
In his farewell season the senior back won the South Carolina Offensive Tenacity Award, and finished with 498 yards after again missing time (two games) with a knee issue. Dowdle’s total of 2,167 rushing yards rank No. 15 in school history, even though he didn’t surpass 500 carries.
Despite an injury riddled four years in the SEC, and nine fumbles in his collegiate career, Dowdle did many things well enough to get on NFL scout’s radars.
Draft Process
The 6-foot, 215 pound running back has excellent size for the position, and he uses his frame, balance, and resilient running style to break through weak tackle attempts. Dowdle has the speed to run away from poor angled defenders, and his quick feet allow him to evade tacklers before finishing his runs with power.
Dowdle received a combine invitation, where he would go on to run a 4.54s 40-yard dash, record a 38″ vertical leap, and a 10’7″ broad jump, all excellent numbers.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, one of the most renowned draft experts, broke down Dowdle as a prospect.
Strengths: “Well-constructed size for the position…lowers his pads and runs with purpose at contact…uses balance and a stiff arm to keep his feet underneath him…quick feet and accelerates well to get through holes…displays run patience before finding and knifing through cutback lanes…posted double-digit catches each of his four seasons for the Gamecocks…makes up for his drops with sprawling catches on poor throws…goes low to chop down rushers in pass pro…approaches each game with a professional attitude.”
Weaknesses: “Overly methodical at times…quick-footed, but not naturally shifty…makes too much contact with blockers inside…fights the football at times as a pass catcher, leading to costly drops…responsible for nine fumbles over his career (54.4 fumble rate)…durability is a strong concern, missing two games as a senior due to a right knee injury (October 2019); missed playing time as a junior due to groin and ankle injuries (November 2018); broke the fibula in his left leg (October 2017),requiring season-ending surgery; missed the first four games of his true freshman season due to offseason hernia surgery and a tweaked groin.”
Summary: “A four-year starter at South Carolina, Dowdle shared the running back duties in the Gamecocks’ offense. He and Clemson transfer Tavien Feaster combined for 1,170 rushing yards in 2019, finishing his career 15th on the school’s all-time rushing list. A consistent finisher, Dowdle runs low and hard with the enough balance and juice that makes him tough to get on the ground. He can be as productive as his volume, but his college resume shows a troubling number of fumbles, drops and injuries that create dependability concerns. Overall, Dowdle is a hard-charging runner with the agility on cutbacks to quickly get north-south, projecting as an NFL running back worth of a roster spot if he can prove to reliable and healthy.”
The Big Leagues
Dowdle went undrafted in the 2020 draft, and was signed by the Cowboys to the standard three-year, minimum salary UDFA deal.
Usually offseason programs like rookie mini-camps are in place to give UDFA’s like Dowdle a chance to showcase their skills, but with Covid-19 wiping out a summer of practices and workouts, all fringe roster players are in an even steeper uphill battle.
It goes without saying there is a roster spot for Ezekiel Elliott, who will once again handle the majority of the backfield duties, and second-year speedster Tony Pollard earned an increased role after his rookie year.
The Cowboys released RB Jordan Chunn in July leaving only Dowdle, along with fellow UDFA Darius Anderson out of TCU, as the remaining tailbacks on the roster.
The kicker for both Anderson and Dowdle will be how many running backs Mike McCarthy and his mostly-new staff choose to keep around.
If the Dallas top brass does decide more backfield insurance is needed, the South Carolina product has a real chance to edge out Anderson, especially if Dallas feels comfortable with his medical situation.
This is part of our Countdown to the Regular Season player profile countdown.
| Antwaun Woods | Tyrone Crawford | Trysten Hill | Jalen Jelks |
| Dontari Poe | Randy Gregory | Gerald McCoy | Dorance Armstrong |
| L.P. Ladouceur | DeMarcus Lawrence | Blake Jarwin | CeeDee Lamb |
| Cole Hikutini | Dalton Schultz | Noah Brown | Sean McKeon |
| Ventell Bryant | Jon’vea Johnson | Blake Bell | Justin Hamilton |
| Cody Wichmann | Tyron Smith | Ladarius Hamilton |
| Neville Gallimore | Terence Steele | Joe Looney | La’el Collins |
| Zack Martin | Brandon Knight | Ron’Dell Carter | Wyatt Miller |
| Connor McGovern | Tyler Biadasz | Adam Redmond | Luke Gifford |
| Leighton Vander Esch | Justin March | Connor Williams |
| Bradlee Anae | Sean Lee | Jamize Olawale | Joe Thomas |
| Francis Bernard | Sewo Olonilua | Reggie Robinson |
| Donovan Wilson |
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