The Cowboys have assembled a committee of running backs to replace star back Tony Pollard, who left for the Titans this offseason.
While many of the team’s storylines are focused off the field, it is still early in NFL training camp. The Cowboys will be wearing pads for the first time on Tuesday.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones may have disclosed a significant and very likely upcoming roster cut—popular running back Deuce Vaughn—while praising one committee member.
Cowboys Exec Drops Hint That Fan-Favorite Playmaker Will be Cut https://t.co/3TeWEnRv8U
— Odds 911 (@odds911) July 30, 2024
Jones began his Monday appearance on 105.3 “The Fan” in Dallas by complimenting free-agent acquisition Royce Freeman. According to the Dallas Morning-News, Jones remarked, “That Freeman guy has really impressed.”
At the scout dinner on Sunday, we were just discussing it.
“What the devil was he doing loitering outside?” An intriguing man to merely be seated there.
When it comes to his backup capabilities, Jones praised him as a fantastic two-three combo. He’s a large, robust man.
He is also a terrific player on special teams. He will be a wonderful addition and [Ezekiel Elliott’s] perfect partner.
After that, we’ll put these young men in a fight between Marco Dowdle and Malick Davis, and those men will win.
Not included in that final four was Vaughn, the team’s sixth-round selection from the previous round. During the preseason, Deuce Vaughn became a fan favorite.
Ironically, Vaughn’s spot on the 53-man roster is probably in jeopardy because of the Cowboys’ choice to dilute the running back position by making it a committee rather than having one great back receive the majority of the totes.
Although the Cowboys don’t need Vaughn if they can employ Freeman in the return game, he is valuable as a spot guy who returns kicks.
More importantly, they can concentrate on holding onto four backs who stand a decent chance of receiving regular carries. Vaughn is a 5-foot-5 player who is only occasionally played.
He did became well-known among Cowboys supporters during the previous preseason after he produced a number of highlight plays in the team’s opening victory over the Jaguars, which led to a touchdown and cheers of “Deeeeuuuucceeee.”
But from then on, Vaughn’s life slowed down.
In the Cowboys’ second preseason game, he had five carries for 14 yards and a touchdown; in the final game, he got no carries.
Throughout the season, he had 40 yards from 23 carries and another 40 yards from seven catches. Vaughn also scored 19 yards on four punt returns.
Although Vaughn is undoubtedly a fan favorite, this squad is at capacity and cannot afford to retain players for personal reasons.
Though more likely to be on the practice squad than the active roster, he might be back with the Cowboys.
Positively speaking, Jones’ remarks regarding Freeman are heartening, even though they do suggest that the Cowboys looked elsewhere for someone who was “just sitting around” before signing him.
In his ninth NFL season, Freeman—a third-round selection by the Broncos—rushed for 319 yards on 77 runs last year, which was the second-best average of his career.
Despite the fact that he has only made nine starts in 79 games over the course of four seasons, he is not expected to challenge Elliott for the starting job, even though he might be a useful supplement.
Jones seems positive, but there are modest expectations for the running game.
The Cowboys’ backs are the worst in the NFL going into the season, according to Pro Football Focus.
“The Cowboys re-signed Ezekiel Elliott to be their lead rusher after letting Tony Pollard sign elsewhere in free agency and missing out on the top backs in the 2023 NFL Draft,” PFF stated.
Elliott’s best years were with the Cowboys, but during the last two seasons, his yards per carry average has fallen below 4.0, which has led to a career-low 69.2 PFF running grade in 2023. Dece Vaughn and Rico Dowdle are behind him.
covering the NBA, NFL, and MLB. With over 20 years of NBA coverage experience, including 17 years as the lead NBA correspondent for Sporting News, he has been writing for Heavy since 2019.
A writer of seven nonfiction books, Deveney is the author of “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.”
