So far, the Dallas Cowboys have shown confidence in their running back room going into the 2024 NFL preseason, banking on Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle to spearhead what has been described as a "running back by committee."
It remains unclear who will lead the way between these two as Elliott keeps getting first-team reps while Dowdle looks like the much more explosive option but both are expected to be complemented by FB Hunter Luepke and one other back, who is trending to be veteran Royce Freeman instead of the young Deuce Vaughn.
But there might be another player crashing the party very soon.
According to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler , the Cowboys are still looking into external options in case things don't pan out quite like they want to at RB. One of those options, as he details below, is former Philadelphia Eagles' second-round draft pick Miles Sanders:
The Cowboys know they face questions at running back after losing Tony Pollard to a bigger contract in Tennessee. They will monitor the Ezekiel Elliott-Rico Dowdle-Royce Freeman experience, while keeping a short list of external options, just in case. Carolina's Miles Sanders is on that list. And Dalvin Cook has shown interest in playing for the Cowboys. As it stands, Elliott is slated as the starter, but the Cowboys will manage his snaps. They need Dowdle to stay healthy; McCarthy likes what he has shown in camp. And the team really likes Freeman's tape from the Rams last season and believes he can be an impact RB2/RB3 option -- a banger in small doses.
Sanders would sure be an intriguing option for the Cowboys. In his first four years in the league, all of which were in Philly, Sanders averaged 927 yards per season. In his last year with the Eagles, he went to the Pro Bowl with a 1,269-yard campaign to go with a whopping 11 touchdowns.
Things didn't pan out for Sanders in Carolina in 2023, although a lot of that could be attributed to an anemic offense that led to the firing of head coach Frank Reich on the first year of his contract.
But perhaps the biggest takeaway here is that the Cowboys are keeping their eyes on running backs around the league and there's a Plan B in place. It's clear they don't have an ideal setup at the position but they're betting on what they have first. Zeke faces some significant questions after multiple seasons with little explosive plays to his name and Dowdle has struggled to stay healthy before.
These backs will need help to, as for this unit to be successful, the team will need a better scheme and better blocking up front when they try to pound the rock. Both were a problem last year, which led to the Cowboys adopting a pass-happy attack halfway through the season.
A key component in that might be using more 21 personnel (two running backs, one tight end), as FB Hunter Luepke hinted at earlier in training camp. Stay tuned.
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