What are you expecting from the Cowboys running back room in 2025?
To say the Cowboys running back room in 2025 will look a lot different is an understatement. With Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle no longer with the team, Deuce Vaughn and Malik Davis are the only familiar faces still in Dallas (with Hunter Luepke at fullback). The Cowboys were active early in free agency after making Javonte Williams their first signing of the 2025 free agency period.
Williams, just 24 years old, is looking for a fresh start in Dallas, after starting off his career hot in Denver. Williams looked the part in his rookie season, but after an ACL tear four games into his sophomore campaign in 2022, Williams has struggled to get back to his form that had him drafted 35th overall in the 2021 NFL draft.
While the production has been down for Williams over the last three years, he has still proven to be a capable receiver and pass protector out of the backfield, which was probably a big reason he was acquired. Along with Williams, the Cowboys also signed Miles Sanders to a one-year deal this offseason.
Sanders, now 27, had a very productive career in Philadelphia, but has struggled to make much of an impact in Carolina since joining the Panthers in 2023. Both Sanders and Williams provide veteran depth and starting experience to the Cowboys running back room, which it needed, but the Cowboys need more at the position, and that will likely come in the 2025 NFL draft. There was an assumption the Cowboys would add to the running back room in free agency, and they did, but it is pretty much a guarantee that they will be drafting a running back relatively early in the 2025 NFL draft.
In case you have not heard, the 2025 NFL draft is loaded with quality running backs. Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton headline the group, but players like TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, Kaleb Johnson, Dylan Sampson, RJ Harvey, DJ Giddens, Damien Martinez, and Jordan James are all top 100 players in this class that can immediately improve the Cowboys running back room.
Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is the only running back in this class who should be considered in the first round in this draft, and it is likely he will be drafted in the top 10. Even with the consensus top back likely off the board, the Cowboys should be able to add one of the many backs who will be available with the 44th or 76th overall pick who should be able to handle the bulk of the carries in 2025. It may be tough to do so with so many positional needs, but this would be a great draft to double up on running backs, with so many different style backs in this class.
SMU’s Brashard Smith, Virginia Tech’s Bhaysul Tuten, Texas’ Jaydon Blue, and Kansas’ Devin Neal are all quality running backs who could very well be starting level players in the NFL that can be had outside of the top 100.
There is still plenty of work to be done on the running back position, with no quality starter currently on the roster, but this one should be a very small concern for Cowboys fans, due to the quality of backs available in the draft.
