It looks as if the days of investing in the running back position are over for the Dallas Cowboys. After once drafting Ezekiel Elliott in the top five of the 2016 NFL Draft and later signing him to a multi-year extension, the Cowboys aren’t prioritizing the position like in years past.
The Cowboys’ reluctance to pay running backs so far this offseason, however, has left them with a big question mark at the position. Last year’s starter Tony Pollard is gone, and their current running backs under contract have a combined 169 career carries.
Who will emerge as the Cowboys’ starting running back this season? We examine their options currently on the roster, remaining free agents, and options in the 2024 NFL Draft.
What’s the Dallas Cowboys’ Plan at Running Back?
While Pollard wasn’t expected to return to the Cowboys in free agency, Dallas was heavily linked to top free agents at the position, most notably Derrick Henry. However, players such as Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs quickly landed on their feet elsewhere, and the Cowboys didn’t even show any interest in Henry.
Now with Pollard elsewhere, and options running thin in free agency, where will the Cowboys turn at the position?
Will Any of the Cowboys’ Running Backs Under Contract Step Up?
According to Spotrac, the Cowboys currently have allocated just $4,103,334 to their entire running back room, with four total players, making an average just north of $1 million per player.
Of the four running backs currently under contract, the most seasoned one on the roster is last year’s RB2, Rico Dowdle. Dowdle was just signed last week to a one-year deal to bring him back into the fold in hopes of returning stability and familiarity into a room that is set to look vastly different.
Beyond Dowdle, the Cowboys have Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn, and Snoop Conner on the roster. Of the running backs behind Dowdle, only Vaughn received touches in 2023.
Conner is a new addition to the room this offseason, and where he fits into the plans is unknown at this time, as the back has not found solid ground in the NFL since entering the league.
Will the Cowboys Find Their RB1 in the 2024 NFL Draft?
The most cost-effective way to build your roster is through the NFL Draft. The Cowboys know that and are notoriously frugal when it comes to free agency spending and have only added one outside free agent to their roster this offseason thus far.
With that in mind, the Cowboys will undoubtedly look to April’s upcoming NFL Draft as the answer to their RB problem.
The idea that the team can have a rookie RB under financial control for four years, on a cheap rookie deal is something they are surely smitten over. Without a true RB prospect worthy of being taken in the first round, there is still a real chance the Cowboys can wait until the second, or possibly the third, round of this year’s draft and come away with their starter of the future.
Names like Texas’ Jonathon Brooks, or Florida State’s Trey Benson are the biggest names of note. However, going even deeper than that the Cowboys may still be able to find the production they are looking for on even Day 3.
Players such as Oregon’s Bucky Irving, or Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright are names the Cowboys may be able to get in the third round or later that could come in and start on Day 1. While it is a risk to hope that one of these players can be starting-caliber from the jump, it is a cheap risk, and those are the chances the Cowboys don’t mind taking.
Who Are the Remaining Free Agent Running Backs?
While the top free agent running backs are no longer available, there are still plenty of veteran options that remain unsigned on the open market.
The two biggest names are former Baltimore Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins and former Kansas City Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire. With what appears to be little demand for both free agents at the moment, the Cowboys could potentially sign either player to an affordable contract.
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However, if this offseason has taught us anything about the Cowboys, it’s that this is a new day in Dallas and the most likely path toward acquiring a starting running back next season could be in the upcoming NFL Draft.
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