Running backs don’t matter? 2024 taught Cowboys lesson, but which one?

As with any rule, there are always exceptions to it and both Henry and Barkley are excellent examples of that. Barkley specifically has been getting high praise coming off the Super Bowl win. The 28-year-old out of Penn State has always been a special player. After going second overall in the 2018 NFL draft, Barkley has been considered one of the best in the game. Injuries, a poor offensive line and an absent passing game held Barkley back most of his time in New York, but it was always clear he was something special.

Philadelphia certainly thought so, inking Barkley to a three-year, $37,500,000 deal over the 2024 offseason. Barkley went on to post 2,005 rushing yards on the season. It was one of the most successful rushing campaigns in NFL history and evidence Barkley is an all-time great.

Barkley’s 2.78 yards after contact ranked 10^th out 23 qualifying RBs who had 200 or more carries in 2024 (Sumer Sports). His explosive play percentage of 12.9 was second only to Jamar Gibbs in Detroit. He led the NFL in carries, weighted opportunities and red zone touches as well (Player Profiler).

Looking at the 2025 NFL draft Ashton Jeanty is giving off the game generational vibes Barkley has been giving. Coming out of Boisie State Jeanty inexplicably thrived behind a one-dimensional offense, beating defenses who were singularly focused on stopping him. If exceptions to the rule are being made, Jeanty must be considered an exception.

Should the Cowboys use the No. 12 overall pick on Jeanty if they also consider him an exception?

That’s a topic for a different debate since positional value, depth of the draft, team priorities and surplus value must also be weighed in draft day decisions. What probably can’t be debated is how special Jeany is as a RB.

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It’s no coincidence Barkley had his best season playing behind the No. 1 graded offensive line in football. After all, a major reason the “RBs don’t matter” mantra caught fire is because rushing success was closer correlated to offensive line play than individual ball carriers. Teams were seeing down-roster replacement RBs put up similar numbers to that of the high-priced starters. As long as the offensive line play was strong, the running game worked. The individual RB didn’t matter nearly as much.

The proof is in the numbers. Runs with zero negatively graded runs have a success rate of 60.2 percent and an EPA of +0.27, compared to just 25.7 percent success rate and a -0.27 EPA for running plays with one or more negatively graded blocks. Sometimes a generational player can overcome that but most of the time it comes down to blocking.

In addition to their dominant offensive line, the Eagles have an elite defense that keeps the running game relevant, an elite receiving group that keeps defenses honest and dual-threat quarterback that keeps run stoppers in conflict. Barkley stepped into the perfect situation so it’s no mystery why the 2024 season was far and away his best.

Barkley and Henry joined teams that were readymade and stacked across the board. They were a cherry on top. They were a delicious addition to the sundae, but hardly a building block.

The Ravens finished the 2024 season ranked No. 1 in overall EPA/play. Their ground game was specifically dominant, finishing second in success rate and EPA/ carry. The running tandem of Lamar Jackson and Henry truly was an elite one. Given Baltimore ranked sixth overall the season before they added Henry, the improvement is undeniable. It wasn’t a transformative bump, but it was a bump nonetheless.

The Eagles saw gains as well, but to a much lesser extent. They finished the regular season ranked sixth in overall in EPA/play with their rushing EPA specifically ranked first and their success rate ranked ninth. Again, pairing an elite RB with a dual-threat QB worked out positively for them. Yet, the season before Barkley, Philadelphia ranked seventh overall, so the addition moved them up just one spot in the rankings.

As the numbers show the Eagles’ gains were much more modest. Barkley provided a bump but he didn’t lift the offense to the heights like some make it out to be. In fact, the success rate on the ground dropped with the addition of Barkey. The Eagles posted more failed running plays in 2024 than they did the season before.

The takeaway is this: generational RBs dropped into a perfect situation can enjoy wild success in the NFL. But because of the opportunity costs associated with stealing snaps from a more productive passing game to feed the less productive running game, this boost may not be as transformative as it may seem.

Fans and media went ga-ga over Barkley and Henry joining their respective teams in 2024. They elevated their offenses to new heights and put run defenses everywhere on notice. Those who passed on signing said players, like the Cowboys, were painted as idiots.

It was implied Dallas could have enjoyed the same ground game success as Philadelphia and Baltimore if they just would have recognized these players for the special talents they were. Given all the issues the Cowboys had on defense, offensive line, WR and QB, such a suggestion is preposterous.

The Cowboys appear to be learning the right lessons. They’ve invested heavily in the offensive line over the years and have made a concentrated effort over the 2025 offseason to build a coaching staff focused on the offensive line. Klayton Adams, one of the best offensive line coaches in the NFL, was hired to run the Dallas offense in 2025. With him, a number of capable coaches known for their OL prowess have signed on for 2025.

The Cowboys took an aggressively indifferent approach to the RB position last offseason, turning their noses up at free agency as well as the draft. Rico Dowdle did well once he got rolling, finishing No. 8 in yards after contact (200+ touches) and sixth in success rate (Sumer Sports) but the Cowboys got lucky with him in many ways.

Even the biggest proponent of “RBs don’t matter” would agree Barkley would have done better behind the Dallas line than Dowdle. He wouldn’t have remotely approached the success he found in Philadelphia, but he would have probably done better than the 1,079 rushing yards Dowdle put up in 2024.

Whether the Cowboys re-sign Dowdle or not, Dallas needs to invest draft capital into the RB position this April. It doesn’t have to be an early pick, but it has to be a pick. 2025 is one of the deepest RB classes in recent years so it’s safe to say a few solid starters can be found in the middle rounds.

The Cowboys wouldn’t have been much better in 2024 even if they invested heavily in the RB position. Neither Barkley nor Henry could have saved their season last year. But if the Cowboys plan to be as run-heavy as we seem to think, they need to improve their offensive line in a big way. They have some pieces to work with and a coaching staff built for it, they just have to put it all together.

Do running backs matter?

Some do, but even those exceptions to the rule need the right situation to thrive. The Cowboys appear to be focused on building that better situation.