Deuce Vaughn is another option at running back for the Cowboys.
Other than being a fun “Draft Day” story, Deuce Vaughn has made little to no impact in his two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Considering he’s only rushed for a total of 110 yards on 40 carries it’s difficult to imagine him suddenly having a breakout season in 2025, and yet, there’s a possibility that’s exactly what happens.
As things stand right now, Vaughn is basically the only option at running back on the Cowboys roster. While that’s true right now, once free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft gets underway, it’s safe to assume there will be several new faces joining him on the RB depth chart. Because of that, No. 42 has become somewhat of an afterthought.
No one is really expecting Vaughn to suddenly emerge out of nowhere to become a key fixture in the Cowboys rushing attack next season. Everybody is more excited about the new flashy toy that could be joining them via the draft, such as Ashton Jeanty or one of the other RBs in a deep and impressive draft class this year.
Write him off if you want, but don’t be surprised if Vaughn sees a significant boost in playing time in 2025 because changes to the coaching staff, particularly the hire of Conor Riley and his ability to influence the scheme to highlight Vaughn. They were rather successful together at Kansas State after all.
Riley, the Cowboys new offensive line coach, was the offensive line coach at Kansas State when Vaughn was there, as well as Cooper Beebe. He is highly regarded as one of the top offensive minds and coaches in the country. With him in the mix, there is hope we see both of his former players take their games to another level.
Beebe will surely benefit from having Riley as his position coach once again, but Vaughn could be the one most impacted by his reunion with Vaughn in Dallas on the Cowboys coaching staff. Riley had a first row seat to watch the diminutive 5’6″, 176-pound RB become a dominating offensive weapon when they were together at Kansas State.
Vaughn put up mind blowing numbers as a pure running back in 37 games with Riley’s linemen leading the way. He rushed for a total of 4,884 yards from scrimmage and 43 touchdowns, averaging 109.7 rushing yards per game and 31.3 receiving yards per game in his final two seasons. If anyone can help clear a path for No. 42 to be more impactful, Riley can.
We mention all of this not to suggest that Vaughn will suddenly become a key fixture in the Cowboys rushing attack, but instead to show why there’s a chance he could see more playing time in 2025. Only time will tell though how all of this ends up getting pieced together.
