McCarthy “impressed” by Cowboys’ rookie class; confirms RB by committee

Rookie minicamps have begun at The Star in Frisco and the Dallas Cowboys are installing playbooks for draft picks and undrafted free agents. Seven of the Cowboys’ eight draft picks were in attendance.

The only absentee was 2nd-round pick DE Marshawn Kneeland, who is the only draft pick not to yet sign a contract.

The hype surrounding this class is palpable, mainly due to the fact this draft class, as well as last season’s, needs to step up to fill the void of several lost starters in free agency.

While players like Mazi Smith, Luke Schoonmaker, and DeMarvion Overshown will have to wait until the first workouts involving the entire team, rookies like Tyler Guyton, Cooper Beebe, and Caelen Carson get to shine right now.

In a post-practice press conference Saturday morning, HC Mike McCarthy gushed about the rookie class and let us all know his plans for Ezekiel Elliott’s usage.

Quotes are taken from the Twitter/X account of Dallas Morning News Reporter Michael Gehlken.

McCarthy On the Rookie Class

“I’ve been very, very impressed with this group. I told them this morning, every year you feel like, ‘Hey, you guys are the best group we ever had.’ And I would be very comfortable saying that to them.

“But I did tell them, ‘I’ve never seen one better.’ I do appreciate the amount of work that they did do before they got here because it has shown up here this weekend.”

Gehlken also reported that McCarthy commented on the fact that the rookies retained information from Zoom meetings leading up to training camp.

They’ve also shown initiative to work together in a hotel ballroom at night, ensuring they’re on top of playbook install.

The work they did “before they got here” is McCarthy’s way of referring to Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe taking private lessons with offensive line guru Duke Manyweather.

Manyweather runs his own private training business located in Frisco, conveniently near the Cowboys’ practice facilities.

He doesn’t exclusively train Cowboys players but his proximity lends to more opportunity to work with the hometown team.

McCarthy On Ezekiel Elliott’s Workload

“We’re running back by committee, but I think he’ll definitely play at the level that he’s played, I know, in my time here.

I anticipate that. I don’t see any drop-off in the way he moves.

“He’s in good shape. He’s come in here and he’s picked up right where he left off.”

The original question (paraphrased) asked McCarthy whether or not Ezekiel Elliott would receive the same type of workload as in years past.

McCarthy’s response couldn’t be clearer.

He commented matter-of-factly that the Cowboys will take a running back-by-committee approach.

Dallas re-signed Elliott after a year spent in New England.

He posted 951 yards from scrimmage at 4.1 yards per touch and five total touchdowns.

Fifty-one of those touches were receptions, showing he can still be a threat as a receiver out of the backfield.

Elliott is likely to start the season as the Cowboys’ top running back on the depth chart, but who else will fall in the committee approach?

Running back-by-committee

We’ve already established that Elliott will likely be the top running back on the depth chart. His football smarts and elite pass protection will earn him plenty of snaps.

Dallas famously didn’t draft a running back this year, instead choosing to roll with Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Hunter Leupke, and Deuce Vaughn with Malik Davis on the practice squad and undrafted free agent Nathaniel Peat also in the mix.

Dowdle split carries with Tony Pollard, who signed in free agency with the Tennessee Titans.

He carried the ball 89 times for 361 yards in the first healthy season of his career.

Luepke was in the mix but was used sparingly as a ball carrier, rushing for just 19 yards on six carries and catching three passes for 18 yards.

He is perhaps most remembered in 2023 for fumbling the ball away at the 1-yard line in a Christmas Eve game at Miami.

Dallas ended up losing by three points in a game with playoff-seeding implications.

Vaughn was utilized even less than Luepke, active for only seven games and rushing for just 40 yards on 23 carries.

He did catch all seven of his targets for 40 yards and a nifty touchdown on a screen pass in the red zone.

Davis never saw the field.

He was active for only three games and never lined up on offense.

Peat is the only running back at minicamp and has the luxury of 100% of the snaps. He could work himself into the conversation as part of the committee.