The Dallas Cowboys running back situation is grim heading into the 2024 season.
After losing starter Tony Pollard in free agency to the Tennessee Titans, the team is looking at a handful of young guys taking the reigns right now.
Speaking of free agency, Dallas has yet to do anything there to fill Pollard's shoes.
Most of the top replacements or improvements for Pollard are long gone; it is mainly older veterans now.
However, rumors are spreading about the Cowboys' interest in a pair of those veterans.
Dallas could dip into the free agency pot for one or two of these guys, that is if they can find some pennies under the couch cushions to hand out in contracts.
With the NFL Draft on the horizon, this could be another way for the Cowboys to fix the issue.
The team is limited in draft capital, but it seems they are heavily interested in at least a few running backs in this class.
Dallas has many different ways they can approach this major hole in the offense.
Let's take a look at five options for the Cowboys to fix it heading into the 2024 season.
Bring Ezekiel Elliott Home
The Cowboys are reportedly very interested in a reunion with former All-Pro, Ezekiel Elliott.
After 7 successful seasons in Dallas, they cut ties with Elliott last offseason.
Now, after a decent season with the New England Patriots, he is back on the free agent market and could be the perfect bandaid for the Cowboys running back woes.
Some are going to see this move as reminiscing on the past.
However, there is some serious merit to bringing Elliott back, this is not just fluff.
He only ran for 3.5 yards per carry last season in New England, which is below the league average and a career low.
This could very easily have been a result of the Patriots abysmal offense, however.
When Elliott was getting reps as the RB1 late in the season, defenses knew they were just going to run the ball, so the box was constantly stacked against a middle-of-the-road offensive line.
Where he really succeeded with the Pats was in the passing game.
Zeke Leap 😳
📺: #NEvsDEN on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/uY6Dg37sZg pic.twitter.com/CM0Q49hhKh— NFL (@NFL) December 25, 2023
He caught 51 passes for 313 yards, the former of which was the 3rd highest number of his career.
In all likelihood, the Cowboys will sign a veteran and draft a rookie.
If Elliott can take some goal-line carries, mentor the young guys, and be more reliable in the passing game than a rookie, this makes a whole lot of sense.
Rico Dowdle's Time to Shine
Few are talking about it, but you can make the argument that backup Rico Dowdle was better than Pollard in 2023.
Dowdle averaged more yards per carry, had a rushing success rate only 2.8% below Pollard's, and had zero fumbles (on a lot fewer carries) while Pollard had a career-high of 3.
These numbers don't lie, and the eye test showed it too.
Cowboys with a 90-yard drive. Dak to Rico Dowdle TD
Cowboys 7, Commanders 0 pic.twitter.com/3ocsbeL60x
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 23, 2023
Dowdle popped when he got into the game in 2023.
He injected a spark and some life into the offense with a powerful running style and sneaky athletic ability.
As Head Coach, Mike McCarthy put it, Dowdle “runs so damn angry it's beautiful”.
This leads us to another point towards Dowdle being RB1 in 2024, McCarthy absolutely loves him.
Time and time again in 2023, the HC mentioned how much he loved what Dowdle was doing.
With Pollard out of the picture and the team not yet signing a free agent, could this be a sign Dallas is going to lean on Dowdle as RB1, rather than draft a rookie?
It is certainly possible, especially with the lack of draft capital the Cowboys have.
There are too many needs to count, and if they could trust Dowdle to make a huge leap in 2024, they could use one of those limited draft picks elsewhere.
Dowdle as RB1 in 2024 is not as unrealistic as it may sound.
Premier Pick on Rookie
It is no secret that this is the most likely outcome for the Cowboys running back problem.
Dallas will likely draft a running back in the first three rounds of this year's NFL Draft.
Whoever this prospect is will be the team's RB1 heading into next season, the question is who will it be?
There are a couple of obvious names that you should know by now.
The biggest of which is a guy who would not have to travel far to join the Cowboys.
Texas native and former Longhorn, Jonathon Brooks is a top target for Dallas, and it seems he could even be their first-round pick.
Jonathon Brooks glides with the ball in his hands. pic.twitter.com/gzJrpGqaJK
— Nick Penticoff (@NickPenticoff) April 9, 2024
The Cowboys met with Brooks at the NFL Scouting Combine and he is a top-30 visit for them.
This means that he got to come into the facility for a full-on visit.
You might know that Brooks tore his ACL late in the season last year and that his draft stock will vary based on how his recovery is going.
Thus, while Brooks is my RB1 in the draft, it's smart for Dallas to look at the whole board when they decide which rookie to go with.
Guys like Florida State's Trey Benson could be another option for the team.
He was a 30-visit as well, does not have injury concerns, and is a consensus top-2 running back in the draft.
Whether it is Brooks, Benson, or another one of the premier running back prospects, the Cowboys' biggest task is making sure they get the right guy.
Whether that means in the draft, in free agency, or in-house, the Cowboys running back problem must be solved before next season.
