When talking about the Dallas Cowboys offense, one unit is much weaker than the rest, a unit that has been a strength over the last five or six years. Entering the 2024 season, though, the Cowboys running back group is the worst it has been in years.
ESPN even has the Cowboys running backs ranked as the worst in football, and right now, they are probably right.
Tony Pollard is now in Tennessee as he signed a three-year deal with the Titans in March, leaving the Cowboys without a No. 1 back to run the rock.
The Cowboys brought back an old friend in Ezekiel Elliott and signed Royce Freeman to a one-year deal in April.
They still have Rico Dowdle, Malik Davis and Deuce Vaughn, but they have talked about giving Vaughn reps at wide receiver, so he might be on the bubble.
Lightning In A Bottle?
When the Cowboys signed Freeman in April, I thought he would be doing what he is right now. Come in to be a training camp body, and be cut when they start to slim the roster, but after the first week of camp, we may have to rethink that.
Freeman generated a lot of buzz during the first week of camp. Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan that veteran RB Royce Freeman has “really impressed.”
“He’ll be a good addition and great complement to (Ezekiel Elliott). And then we’ll let these young guys between (Rico Dowdle and Malik Davis) and those guys battle it out,” Jones said.
Maybe the Cowboys can finally get lucky and find lightning in a bottle with Freeman. This will clearly be a running-back-by-committee backfield, and if Freeman can beat out Malik Davis and even Dowdle, who knows?
Freeman is the career rushing touchdowns leader in the PAC-12 Conference, where he rushed for 60 touchdowns at the University of Oregon from 2014 to 2017.
He is also the Ducks’ career rushing leader at 5,621 yards.
A Lot Of Camp Left
Royce is not going to jump to the front of the line after one solid week, but getting off to a good start helps his chances at making the team and earning some carries.
While in Denver for two seasons, he produced 1,017 yards and 8 touchdowns on 262 carries (3.88 yards per carry) while also totaling 57 receptions for 328 yards and 1 touchdown in the receiving game.
However, after those few seasons spent in the place he was drafted, that is about all he could muster.
He could only produce 319 yards and two touchdowns last season with the Los Angeles Rams.
Scott Schottenheimer
Having Scott Schottenheimer as the offensive coordinator could be key for a team that is going to use three running backs.
Mike McCarthy calls the plays, but Schotty draws everything up, and he has had success with a trio of ball carriers once before.
Schottenheimer coordinated an offense that led the NFL in rushing (172.3 rushing yards per game) as the New York Jets offensive coordinator in 2009, and that attack featured three players with 70 or more carries.
Thomas Jones (1,402 rushing yards on 331 carries), Shonn Greene (540 rushing yards on 108 carries) and Leon Washington (331 rushing yards on 72 carries).
When you look at the numbers, neither Zeke, Freeman nor Rico are going to run for over 1,400 yards, but if Elliott can give them over 900 yards, that would be a good start.
Freeman could pop off for 600–700 yards and Dowdle could produce 500.
They have the right guy in place to help them run the football, and if Royce Freeman can keep up what he did in the first week of camp, maybe the Cowboys will catch lightning in a bottle.