After the first-round selection of offensive lineman Tyler Booker in last week’s draft, conventional wisdom had the Dallas Cowboys focusing on the run game in 2025.
That might have been true had Dallas bothered to follow that pick up with a three-down running back in either of the next two rounds.
Instead, the Cowboys selected another edge player in the second round and a cornerback in the third. Said cornerback is coming off of a torn ACL at that.
That doesn’t exactly scream “focusing on the run” here.
Dallas went into the draft needing an RB1 with the departure of Rico Dowdle in the offseason, following Tony Pollard’s departure the year before.
They are still looking for an RB1 after. So now they have to hope that one of their two late-round draft picks at the position pays off.
Otherwise, the Cowboys are looking at a running-back-by-committee approach in 2025.
Either way, as of this moment and barring any additional trades or free agent signings, the Cowboys have only the third-best running back room in the NFC East.
Dallas Cowboys
- Jaydon Blue
- Hunter Luepke
- Phil Mafah
- Miles Sanders
- Deuce Vaughn
- Javonte Williams
New York Giants
- Eric Gray
- Dante Miller
- Cam Skattebo
- Devin Singletary
- Tyrone Tracy
Philadelphia Eagles
- Saquon Barkley
- J. Dillon
- Will Shipley
- Avery Williams
Washington Commanders
- Brian Robinson
- Austin Ekeler
- Jeremy McNichols
- Chris Rodriguez Jr.
It is abundantly clear that the Eagles have the best running back room in the division. Saquon Barkley alone seals that.
Having A.J. Dillon to spell Barkley is a huge plus.
Likewise for the Commanders, who have a solid 1-2 punch in Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler.
The Cowboys and Giants, however, have a lot of questions to answer in their offensive backfield. However, adding Cam Skattebo may solve the Giants’ woes in the run game.
(Note: In the original post, Skattebo was inadvertently left off the Giants roster above as well as in the preceding paragraph. That oversight has been corrected.)
Here’s how things shake out for the Cowboys’ running backs in 2025.
Which Backs Will Remain
The first order of business will be sorting out which of the seven running backs will make the 53-man roster in September.
Hunter Luepke, at fullback, would appear to be a safe bet. If Brian Schottenheimer really wants to lean on the run, he’s going to need a good blocking fullback to get the job done.
Luepke also adds the benefit of having been a power halfback at North Dakota State.
He fits the mold of Robert Newhouse in the 1970s. Newhouse was a fullback one year, then the Cowboys’ leading rusher the next at halfback.
In a pinch, Luepke could replicate that role.
But if he eventually has to do that, it would mean serious injuries, or hideous production, would have plagued the rest of the room.
The two recent draft picks, Jaydon Blue (5th – Texas) and Phil Mafah (7th – Clemson) are also likely safe bets, barring injury.
Blue was stuck behind Bijan Robinson and Jonathon Brooks in his first two years at Texas. In 2024, he finally had his chance to start.
In 15 games, he had 730 yards and eight touchdowns on 134 carries for an impressive 5.4 yards per carry average.
His best regular-season game was a 124-yard, three-touchdown effort in a non-conference game against Louisiana-Monroe.
In the opening round of the playoffs against Clemson, he had 146 yards and two scores on just 14 carries.
That’s the good news.
In the other 13 games, he averaged a little over 35 yards a game and scored just three rushing touchdowns in those games. In two games against Georgia, he had two total rushing yards combined.
In his final two playoff games, he only had four yards against Arizona State and 16 against Ohio State.
This does not scream RB1 to anyone outside of The Star, which is why Blue was there in the fifth round.
Mafah’s college numbers were far better.
In 14 games last year for the Tigers, he amassed 1,115 yards and eight touchdowns on 216 carries. He finished his four-year run at Clemson with 2,887 yards.
While Mafah had six games with 100 yards or more in 2024, like Blue, he vanished in post-season play.
In the ACC title game, he had just 28 yards on 13 carries against SMU. In the playoff loss to Texas, he had two carries for nine yards and did not score in either game.
The Best Of The Rest
Of the remaining backs, Javonte Williams is probably a safe bet to retain a roster spot. The same can be said of Miles Sanders.
Both are NFL veterans that can be useful in the running back rotation.
Which probably dooms Deuce Vaughn to either the practice squad or being outright cut.
If I had to choose right now, I’d say Vaughn hits the PS, especially since Malik Davis hit the road on Wednesday, getting cut by Dallas.
While none of the backs right now are RB1-caliber, someone is going to be the starter. Frankly, I think it will be Mafah.
If beefing up the offensive line to smash the ball at the opponent is the ultimate goal, Mafah is a stronger power runner than either Blue or Williams.
So for now, RB1-ish is Mafah.
And the Cowboys have a lot of ground to make up to catch the Eagles and Commanders running back rooms.
