Across four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Rico Dowdle hasn’t always seen a substantial role, but it appears that may finally be changing.
At 6-3, the Cowboys are having a promising season, and signs are pointing to Dowdle having an increased role with the team behind Tony Pollard.
Rico Dowdle’s History With The Cowboys
During his time at South Carolina, Dowdle was a solid running back who finished his college career ranked 15th on the school’s all-time rushing list with 2,167 yards. He also scored 16 rushing touchdowns with the Gamecocks.
In his final collegiate season, Dowdle racked up 498 rushing yards on 106 carries with four touchdowns.
The then-rookie RB signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2020. Prior to 2023, he had played only 20 career games and totaled just seven carries for 24 yards and four kickoff returns as a third-stringer behind Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.
He suffered a hip injury in 2021, and an ankle injury limited him to five games last season. With Elliott off to New England in 2023, however, Dowdle has seen more playing time behind Pollard.
In Week 10 against the New York Giants, Dowdle tallied season highs in carries (12) and yards (79). This brought his season totals to 212 yards on 47 carries.
Dowdle’s performance in the preseason indicated that he may be in a bigger role this year, and that’s starting to come to fruition. He beat out rookie Deuce Vaughn for the role of Pollard’s backup, as Dowdle carried the ball 14 times for 59 yards in exhibition games, averaging 4.7 yards per carry.
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Back in August, head coach Mike McCarthy praised Dowdle’s preseason performance.
“I’ve been impressed with Rico since the first year,” McCarthy said. “I love his running style. He runs angry. He pass-protects with a lot of urgency. He sticks his nose in there … I think we’re just seeing Rico finally healthy. He’s had a tough four years here. Very instinctive. Very bright. Very good, young football player.”
According to ESPN insider Dan Graziano, we can expect to see more Dowdle throughout the remainder of the Cowboys season.
“In spite of rumors linking them to the Titans’ Derrick Henry, I’m told the Cowboys did not engage teams in talks for running backs. They like their running back room,” Graziano wrote. “To that point, don’t be surprised to see a few more carries for backup Rico Dowdle in the coming weeks. The Cowboys still believe in Tony Pollard, and they believe their offensive line’s performance is a bigger part of their run game struggles than their lead back.
“But they also acknowledge the run game isn’t working the way they need it to, and mixing in Dowdle is one way they could try to address it in the short term.”
The Cowboys’ run game is a place of potential improvement for the team, as they average 117.9 rushing yards per game, 11th in the league.
During last Thursday’s practice, McCarthy was asked if Dowdle would get more touches as he did against the Giants.
“We’ll see how the game goes,” McCarthy said. “I’m thrilled to death with the way Rico is playing. But I think we do an excellent job of ball distribution … The game dictates that. If Rico gets more carries, that would be great. But also my focus is Tony Pollard as the primary ball carrier.”
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