Dallas Cowboys 53-man roster projection 3.0: Would you rather…
By Reid Hanson
Running Back (4)
Ezekiel Elliott/Rod Smith/Jamize Olawale/Bo Scarbrough
This isn’t as clear cut as some will lead you to believe. Obviously there’s no question about the first three here. They are all locks on this roster. Zeke is the engine. Rod is do-it-all backup capable of carrying the load should Zeke fall. FB1 Jamize Olawale is the only fullback on the roster and since Dallas always has a fullback, his spot is a lock. Additionally, Jamize is an excellent receiver and versatile enough to play some H-back.
The real question comes down to RB3. It may sound crazy but as of today, Darius Jackson looks like a better RB than Bo Scarbrough. Yes, Bo had that awesome run in the first preseason game. But Darius Jackson looks like the more explosive runner in his cuts. He has shown excellent vision and surprising shiftiness in his running style. He’s also the better third down option (although neither of them are great and Zeke is expected to handle 99 percent of third downs).
The Dallas Cowboys have been working Bo Scarbrough into special teams and if he can carve out a niche there, he will be more valuable to the team on game day than Jackson. He’s also basically under team control for the next four seasons so we have to think about the smart move long-term.
That’s why if I’m making the call, I’m going with Bo Scarbrough as the RB3 and trying to stash Jackson away should injury befall the unit this season.
Something to keep in mind, tough, is there may not even be an RB3 given the construction of the roster and the versatility of WR Tavon Austin. As I broke down a little over a week ago, unless there’s an injury, don’t except the RB3 to get carries this season. Unlike previous seasons, there’s no opportunities to be had.
If the Dallas Cowboys don’t want to waste a roster spot on a developmental QB that will never see the field, why would they with a RB?