FRISCO, Texas — Last season, Dallas Cowboys running backs combined for 1,425 yards and nine touchdowns on 370 carries.
Tony Pollard took 252 of those carries along with 1,005 yards and six touchdowns with him to the Tennessee Titans as an unrestricted free agent.
Re-signed to a one-year deal, Rico Dowdle is the Cowboys’ leading returning running back after rushing for 361 yards and two touchdowns on 89 carries in 2023. The others? Deuce Vaughn had 23 carries for 40 yards. Hunter Luepke, a fullback, had six carries for 19 yards and a touchdown. That’s it. Malik Davis spent most of the season on the practice squad and did not have a carry last season, but he had 38 for 161 yards and a touchdown in 2022.
After previously paying top-of-the-market amounts at running back for Ezekiel Elliott and Pollard, the Cowboys have changed directions.
Now they are hoping to prove that teams can, indeed, find running backs anywhere.
The Cowboys have the fifth-fewest 2023 rushing yards by running backs returning for 2024, but the four teams ahead of them have addressed the position. The New York Giants (70 yards) lost Barkley but signed Devin Singletary. The Los Angeles Chargers (102 yards) lost Austin Ekeler but signed Gus Edwards. The Cincinnati Bengals (260 yards) traded Joe Mixon but signed Zack Moss. The Eagles (364 yards) lost Swift but added Barkley.
