Arguably the biggest positional question mark for the Cowboys this offseason was at running back. Rico Dowdle proved to be a good back, but he left in free agency, and the team never once brought in any clear-cut, obvious starter to replace him.
Rather, they added several guys who all brought promise, along with uncertainty. Veterans Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams have both been productive starting running backs before, though not recently, while rookies Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah offer plenty to get excited about if they can hit the ground running. And there’s always Deuce Vaughn, too.
It seemed like the Cowboys’ plan was to bring in several competitors and just see who rises to the top. A noble plan, for sure, and especially when Brian Schottenheimer is preaching about competition everywhere in his first year as a head coach.
However, we’re now through three preseason games and the running back situation is just as murky as it was before the first OTA.
Williams seems to be the most secure roster lock out of the bunch. He was the only one to not play a single snap in the preseason, and he’s routinely taken first team reps in practices. He posted 1,219 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie, but that promise was cut short with an ACL tear in his second season. Williams led the Broncos in rushing yards with 774 the next year, but he fell out of favor with new head coach Sean Payton.
That led him to Dallas, where he appears to have locked up the starting job. Still, given his statistical instability, it’s hard to feel great about Williams after not seeing him in action with a star on his helmet.
There was also a time where Sanders felt like a safe bet to start. The former Penn State star hit 700+ yards in all four seasons with Philadelphia. He didn’t even break 700 yards across two seasons in Carolina, though the Panthers hardly had the offensive line that Philadelphia did. Sanders’ talent felt ripe to earn him a starting job in Dallas.
Now, though, that idea doesn’t seem so sure. Sanders only suited up against the Ravens, and he did not look good, tallying 15 yards on seven carries. Half of those yards came on one run, too. He looked more like his Panthers days than his Eagles days, to put it mildly.
Blue had been building hype, but an injury kept him out of the first two preseason games. He finally suited up against the Falcons, and flashed plenty with 25 yards on nine carries and a touchdown. However, an ankle injury has now cast doubt on his readiness for the season-opener.
With Blue being a rookie, and having already missed two important weeks of live game reps, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him slowly worked into the rotation. Then again, Blue has the highest ceiling of any running back on this roster.
Mafah, on the other hand, is in serious danger. The Clemson bruiser has looked very much the part through three preseason games, routinely bowling over defenders, but his athletic limitations compared to the others have also been on display. At this point with Mafah, it’s likely a conversation about putting him on the practice squad.
Vaughn is the wild card in all of this.
An afterthought for most fans coming into the preseason, Vaughn has looked genuinely good in all three games. He saved his best for last, too, racking up 42 yards on 10 carries against the Falcons. Things look to be clicking for the diminutive dasher, and Schottenheimer has frequently praised him throughout this process.
Most are still projecting Vaughn to be a roster cut, especially in a crowded running back room, but what if he isn’t? Schottenheimer did say they’ll keep some players that surprise the roster prognosticators, and he could’ve been thinking of Vaughn when he said that.
The fact that we’re even asking that question reflects just how much uncertainty still remains with this position group as cuts approach. There is no clarity from the outside looking in, so hopefully the coaching staff feels differently.
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