Fact or fluke: RB Deuce Vaughn to plead his case for Cowboys roster spot

To anyone who forgot Deuce Vaughn was on the Cowboys roster, the second-year running back offered up a friendly reminder in Las Vegas last week. The 5-foot-6 dynamo from Kansas State has been a fan favorite since joining Dallas as a sixth-round pick. Not only did his drafting make for elite must-see TV, Vaughn came with a college highlight reel that could rival anyone’s.

Unfortunately, his hype never matched his production in the NFL, and his rookie year only produced 40 yards on 23 attempts. His 1.7 yards-per-attempt made a compelling case that Vaughn’s size, or lack thereof, had finally caught up with him.

Concern grew over the offseason regarding Vaughn’s trustworthiness in pass protection, effectiveness between the tackles and general ability to avoid negative runs. In many roster predictions, Vaughn found himself on the outside looking in. Last season’s feel-good story quickly turned to this season’s afterthought. Apparently, no one told Vaughn that.

After missing a portion of training camp nursing injury, Vaughn reminded everyone he still belongs in the conversation. Vaughn put together a series of runs highlighting his elusiveness and ability to pick up positive gains in tough situations.

With one more preseason game left on the schedule, Vaughn has one more chance to prove his value and show he belongs on the Cowboys final 53-man roster.

Working in Vaughn’s favor is the unimpressive nature of the Cowboys RB room. In the post Tony Pollard era, the Cowboys are fairly pedestrian at the RB position. A reunion with Ezekiel Elliott is more about setting a floor than elevating the ceiling. Veteran Royce Freeman is similarly safe, albeit unspectacular, in his fit. Aside from 26-year-old Rico Dowdle, there doesn’t appear to be any game breakers on the depth chart. If Vaughn can prove his performance last week wasn’t a fluke, he could claim a spot on the Cowboys roster after all.

In the Cowboys last preseason game Saturday against the Chargers, Vaughn gets one more opportunity to show he has the juice this 2024 roster needs. It’s not about rushing totals or even yards/carry. It’s about adding value to the running game. Can Vaughn elude tacklers? Can he survive contact in the backfield and avoid negative plays? Can he be a factor in the passing game either in pass protection or as a receiving target?

These are the questions Vaughn still needs to answer. He got himself back in the conversation last week, the challenge now is to prove it was no fluke and he can be a vital piece to this talent-hungry RB room.

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