Dallas City News

The Dallas Cowboys have been criticized for their approach to attacking the running back position this offseason. A position often seen as a strength for Dallas, headlined by former first-round pick Ezekiel Elliott, is now being looked at like the $5 movie bargain bin at Walmart compared to others around the league.

Not so fast.

While the unit does not have the same glitz and glamour of 2022 with Elliott and Tony Pollard as a dominant one-two punch, fans should pump the brakes until the season begins.

Rico Dowdle is having the healthiest offseason of his career and is in line to be the team’s leading rusher if given the opportunity. Elliott is back for a second act, hoping to bring veteran wisdom and goal-line/short-yardage success to a Cowboys offense that struggled in that area in 2023.

Behind those two individuals is the glimmer of Mike McCarthy’s eye—Hunter Luepke. His roster spot is near lock after learning to play some tight end this offseason, and he has plans to be more involved in the offensive game plan.

If the numbers work, there is only one final spot left in the running back room for someone to claim.

There’s a five-way battle between Royce Freeman, Deuce Vaughn, Malik Davis, Snoop Conner, and Nathaniel Peat. While Stephen Jones talked up Freeman’s experience and Vaughn is entering just his second season in Dallas, Davis shouldn’t be the forgotten man in this conversation.

Before the preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams, Nick Harris, who covers the Cowboys for their website, took a few minutes to answer some fan questions. Based on the recent buzz around training camp, I asked if Davis was in consideration for RB3/4. Harris responded with ‘Absolutely.’

If Davis was hoping to make waves in the RB3 competition against the Rams, it didn’t necessarily go as planned. Even though he was the team’s leading carrier at running back, he averaged 2.3 yards on eight carries for 18 yards.

Davis, however, showed off his versatility by being targeted in the passing game five times. The lack of production didn’t fall entirely on Davis’ shoulders. The offensive game plan seemed to shift towards a pass-heavy approach, giving Trey Lance every opportunity to show his development. Not to mention, he was playing behind backup offensive linemen.

Some fans forget it was just a few short years ago that Davis entered training camp as a rookie in 2022 and showed he was better than his undrafted free agent status. The Florida back earned his way on the final 53-man roster after rushing for a team-best 132 yards in the preseason.

Davis carried the same momentum into the regular season. He flashed when he was the backup running back against the Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans, rushing for over 70 yards and averaging over five yards a carry.

Davis’ shine started to dim last year, but that doesn’t mean he can’t recapture the same magic if he finds success over the next few weeks.

The Cowboys will take on the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers in their final preseason games. If Davis can show more explosiveness against the Raiders’ defensive starters, he could be on his way to locking up the final spot at running back and proving even in the Walmart bargain bin, there could be a few gems hiding in plain sight.