Tag: Ezekial Elliott

Do the Cowboys need to add a RB from the outside before season?

It’s likely the Cowboys will only keep three of their eight RBs on their final roster in 2024, do they need to search for another? | From @ReidDHanson

The Cowboys have come under fire for their handling of the running back position this year. Letting Tony Pollard sign a three-year, $21,750,000 deal with Tennessee wasn’t an issue. Handing big money to the RB position has long been regarded as questionable behavior. Re-signing the veteran Ezekiel Elliott to a one-year, $2 million deal wasn’t an issue either. An inexpensive safety net like Elliott made sense in a back-up capacity.

Letting the draft tick by 257 players without the Cowboys claiming a single RB? That baffled a few folks. After years of accusations of overpaying, over-drafting and just generally overinvesting, the Cowboys have made a wild adjustment in the way they handle the RB position.

This 180-degree heel turn of theirs set them on the path to enter the 2024 season with some combination of Rico Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott, Royce Freeman, Maliek Davis, Hunter Luepke, Deuce Vaughn, Snoop Conner and Nathaniel Peat. It’s a group that some have called the worst unit in the NFL and one even the most fervent of Cowboys fans has been having a difficult time getting excited about.

In the Cowboys first preseason game, Dowdle offered glimmers of hope. The fifth-year back out of South Carolina ran the ball three times for 14 yards. His day understandably ended early since he’s expected by many to be the top ball carrier in Dallas in 2024. Held out of action were Elliott and Freeman. The former, a veteran in whom the Cowboys are already well acquainted and the latter, a veteran who’s already banged up.

The rest of the lot played fairly uninspiring ball after Dowdle left the field. Conner led the rest of the group with a paltry 3.3 yards/carry average while no one else surpassed the 2.5 yards/carry mark. Blocking obviously played a big role in that inefficiency, but the ball carriers struggled to add anything of added value to the runs.

It’s all reaffirmed what many feared entering the preseason and supported what was happening in training camp; the Cowboys are weak at the RB position.

In a not-so-bold roster prediction, the Cowboys will likely round out their RB ranks with a player who’s not currently on the roster.

It’s fair to say other NFL teams will release someone who’s good enough to be claimed by Dallas and the Cowboys are just bidding their time until cutdown day arrives on August 27. Of the eight players listed above, it’s likely only three will make the Cowboys final 53 in 2024. It’s a list that includes Luepke the fullback since he’s reportedly beloved by the coaching staff and cross-training at the tight end position to boost his usefulness.

As things stand today, it looks like Dowdle, Elliott and Luepke are the only RBs currently in camp who are in line for a roster spot. Vaughn and Peat would then be the favorites to join the practice squad with a veteran to be named later to round out the rotation on the 53.

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Cowboys RB room earns depressing ranking from PFF

The Cowboys looked to reset the position and as a result are graded as having one of the worst groups of running backs in the league. | From @BenGrimaldi

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.

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

Follow the Money: Breakdown of Cowboys RBs salaries, cap hits

A breakdown of the cap spending at the running back position and how despite the cupboard being bare, there’s a sizable chunk being spent at the spot. | From @ArmyChiefW3

As quarterback takes up an enormous percentage of the Dallas Cowboys salary cap for 2024, something they should hope to reduce before the new league year begins, other positions have taken a back seat in how Stephen Jones’ proverbial pie has been divided. And while recent years have seen a sizable investment in the pasture where the bell cows have grazed, that will likely not be the case for the upcoming season.

The lack of a run game in Dallas is a huge concern, but the problem has a clear path to recovery. And while the solution may reside more along the offensive line and its performance, the club will still need to add additional investments to the running back room as it will more than likely look significantly different come training camp. With the top two backs hitting unrestricted free agency, here’s what the Cowboys currently have under contract to replace Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle’s contributions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Narrowing down Cowboys’ Week 11 performance to 3 stars is a thankless job

Imagine a world where Dak Prescott, Trevon Diggs and 50×2 plus 60×2 kicker aren’t among the best performances. @cdpiglet loves this world.

What a difference a week makes. Seven days ago, the Minnesota Vikings were living the high life after coming back to beat the Buffalo Bills on the road. The Dallas Cowboys were deflated, losing a 14-point fourth quarter lead, for the first time in franchise history, to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

Now the Cowboys are flying high after absolutely mauling the Vikings in their own home in record-setting fashion. The 40-3 victory was the largest point differential in a road win in Dallas history.

Games like this, it’s tough to pick three stars. Could Dak Prescott miss the cut while throwing for 276 yards and two touchdowns on an 88% completion percentage? What about Trevon Diggs, who followed Justin Jefferson all over the field, holding him to three catches and only 33 yards. Maher made every kick, including ones from 53, 50, and 60. . . twice.

Those are three players that could easily make the cut, but they weren’t the top guys this week. Here are the three stars from the Cowboys beat down of the Vikings.

3 Stars: Rookie, vet RB shine alongside main mane in Cowboys win over Lions

The two-headed RB monster roared, the pride leader showed others their place but it was the young upstart who stole the show in @CDPiglet’s 3 stars from Sunday.

The first game back for quarterback Dak Prescott ended up looking like a game started by backup Cooper Rush. Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard were the focus of a conservative offense that had more than 30 rush attempts and under 200 passing yards. The Dallas defense led the way, only allowing six points, while sacking the opposing QB five times, and creating five total turnovers.

Prescott did have some impact on the offense, throwing zero interceptions compared to the three last week, and leading the team to a 75% redzone touchdown percentage with the team scoring three out of four times. The one time the team didn’t score was because wide receiver Noah Brown fumbled on a reception inside the five-yard line.

This team isn’t the Kansas City Chiefs, or the Miami Dolphins offensively. They don’t have the offensive line or receiving talent to spread out and throw the ball all over the field, but an excellent run game and ferocious defense can still be impactful and help the team shine like the decals on the helmets of the three stars of the game.

Vast Array of Weaponry: Cowboys’ skill positions ranked No. 2 in NFL by ESPN

ESPN predicts the Cowboys’ offense to be prolific in 2021 with Prescott returning and the weapons are plentiful on offense. | From @CDBurnett7

Playing without quarterback Dak Prescott for most of the 2020 season, it was still easy to see how high-octane the Cowboys’ offense could be. Backup quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Garrett Gilbert were able to shine in certain moments thanks to the stellar play of the club’s receivers and running backs.

ESPN recently released their rankings for offensive arsenals in 2021, judging the skill positions on offense for every team. Dallas earned the respect of the critics in 2020, being ranked No. 2, only behind the defending champion Buccaneers.

Everybody’s numbers were down after Prescott was replaced by Andy Dalton and the team used backup tackles for virtually the entire season, but rookie wideout CeeDee Lamb looked like a star. We know what Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup can do with a healthy Prescott, and while tight end Blake Jarwin missed most of the year with a torn ACL, Dalton Schultz stepped in and racked up 615 yards with four touchdowns. That’s more receiving yards than Dallas Goedert has produced in any of his three NFL seasons.

In what was considered a down year, running back Ezekiel Elliott put together over 1,300 total yards though he did have issues with five lost fumbles. The most impressive thing about his season was achieving what he did without Prescott and most of the offensive line.

Offensive tackles La’el Collins and Tyron Smith had their season end early while Zack Martin went down later in the season. Both centers Joe Looney and rookie Tyler Biadasz missed time.

His numbers should bounce back some with Prescott & Co. returning to the fold, but the arguments that he was a scheme- or line-transcendent back are firmly in the past. This is a passing team now.

Before the 2020 NFL Draft, Dallas had a strong collection of weapons on offense with wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup to go along with tight end Blake Jarwin, who was fresh off a breakout game to end 2019. Things went from good to great in the offense when wide receiver CeeDee Lamb fell to the Cowboys at the No. 17 pick.

Lamb shined in his rookie season with over 1,000 total yards, while also becoming a part of the rushing game and a weapon in the return game. The Oklahoma standout also returned an onside kick for a touchdown against the 49ers to seal the game.

Cooper put together another strong season with over 1,000 receiving yards to go along with five touchdowns. Despite a handful of games where he seemed forgotten, Gallup once again went over 100 targets on the season, totaling 843 receiving yards himself. In a contract season, he’s expected to show the assumed bump in production.

Jarwin went down with a torn ACL in Week 1, but backup Dalton Schultz stepped up and put together a solid season with career highs in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. The duo will be valuable in 2021, especially in play-action sets.

The Cowboys’ offense should return to be one of the best, if not the best in 2021 with Prescott and the healthy offensive line back in the fold. The weapons that Dallas has built together in recent years will have a chance to put it all together with everyone taking advantage of a full offseason.

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