The NFL offseason is well underway, and Dallas Cowboys fans are itching to find out if their team is going to be active in free agency.
Dallas has become notorious for liking “their guys”, and however grateful we are for Will McClay and his scouting and draft prowess, we want some action!
We want splash. We want to be in the mix. We want every rumor on ESPN about acquiring one of the top free agents to be true.
One can dream, but maybe the Cowboys flip the script on us.
A surprise salary cap increase has added $26 million to the budget, but will Stephen Jones take the shackles off of the checkbook to make something happen with it?
We can’t control that aspect, but we can talk about what positions the Cowboys should be targeting in the draft and free agency.
However, it’s still February, so I want to take a little bit more of a fun tone on this topic until we get closer to the draft.
I’m going to turn the Cowboys roster needs into my personal favorite players list at each position. Today, let’s start with running back.
Remember, this is not a list ranking the best players at their respective positions.
It’s a list of my personal favorite players at the position. You might see some names you don’t recognize, and hopefully, you can add some of your own favorites in the comments.
Running to a Championship
Rico Dowdle was the Cowboys’ lead back in 2024, and he also became the first undrafted player in NFL history to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing in a single season in franchise history.
Dowdle is a free agent, however, and the offense lacked explosiveness at the position without Tony Pollard in the backfield anyway.
One common theme in each of the Cowboys’ Super Bowl seasons has been a strong running game with a back capable of making things happen when the offensive line isn’t at their best.
Here are my favorite examples of a player like that.
DeMarco Murray
I have DeMarco Murray on this list because he was the catalyst for a few years that I consider to be some of the most exciting Cowboys football in my 38 years on this earth.
First, let me praise him for owning the franchise record for rushing yards in a single season (1,845). It’s not a easy thing to do for a team that had players like Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett toting the rock.
Murray was a force on the field, creating contact to pound defenders into submission, but he also had elusiveness and deceptive deep speed.
Ok, now that I’ve praised him, I can remind everyone that he chose to join the Philadelphia Eagles. It was a conscious choice. Do with that information what you will.
Richie Anderson
One of my favorite players of the Bill Parcells era was RB/FB Richie Anderson.
Anderson was one of “Parcells’ guys” that followed the legendary coach from his time with the New York Jets.
What I liked most about Anderson was his versatility. He could line up deep in the backfield and take handoffs, or he could be the up back to lead block.
On the next play, he would line up as a wing or catch a screen out of the backfield. Anderson was a utility back that always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.
Lance Dunbar
Lance Dunbar was a Texas native and a 30-visit for the Cowboys that actually ended up being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.
Dunbar went to college at the University of North Texas, and he took full advantage of the limited opportunities he got in the Cowboys’ offense.
He was primarily a kickoff and punt returner, but was also the Cowboys’ pass-catching third down running back.
I remember one drive versus the Giants where Dunbar seemed to touch the ball on every snap from QB Tony Romo, leading the Cowboys down the field in the 4th quarter to setup the game-winning touchdown.
There are dozens of running backs to have played for the Cowboys in their franchise history. Which are some of your favorites?