After losing Tony Pollard in free agency, the Dallas Cowboys appear to be starting over at running back.
The squad took a move towards upgrading the position by re-signing Rico Dowdle to a one-year contract on Monday. Dowdle is coming off his most productive season in Dallas, following a four-year injury-plagued stretch.
He carried for 361 yards on 89 carries (4.1 yards per carry), scoring two touchdowns. He had two additional touchdowns and 144 yards on 17 receptions.
He now leads a running back room that includes Deuce Vaughn, Malik Davis, and Snoop Connor.
However, the Cowboys are unlikely to add to the position through free agency or the upcoming 2024 NFL draft.
What’s certain is the Cowboys wanted to go cheaper at the position in 2024 after paying Pollard $10.1 million in 2023 and the-departed Ezekiel Elliott $12.4 million in 2022.
Elliott still counts $6 million against the Cowboys cap in 2024. Pollard signed a three-year, $24 million deal with the Tennessee Titans. And Cowboys did not bid on the services other veterans in free agency, including Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley.
But vice president Stephen Jones said the team had a plan for the position. “This is an organization that has been built on great backs, whether it’s Tony Dorsett, Herschel Walker, Emmitt Smith, Ezekiel Elliott or Tony Pollard,” Jones said last week “We’re big believers in backs. They bring a lot to the table.
“Unfortunately, we’re at a point where we have to make some decisions in terms of where we allocate dollars,” he said. “We feel like there’s going to be ways to address the running back situation in a more efficient way.
We’ll see how that works out.” Pollard was the first step. Possibilities in draft include Texas running back Jonathon Boroks, Blake Corum, Trey Benson, Bucky IRving and Jaylen Wright.
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