A brand-new coaching staff led by first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer has their work cut out for them in Dallas as the Cowboys head into a new direction following the dismissal of longtime coach Mike McCarthy.
The new staff will be happy to see franchise signal-caller Dak Prescott healthy and ready to return after missing the final 10 games of last season due to hand and hamstring injuries. However, after Prescott and perennial Pro Bowl wideout CeeDee Lamb, the cupboards are bare when it comes to skill players on the offensive side of the ball.
With the Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard eras truly over in Dallas, it's a seemingly wide-open competition to lead first-year offensive coordinator Klayton Adams' backfield.
While Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders head into camp as the likely top-two options, can one of the Cowboys' rookies in fifth-round pick Jaydon Blue, or seventh-round selection Phil Mafah, make a splash and provide an immediate impact behind Dak Prescott?
Or will a familiar face in the 5-foot-6 scat-back, Deuce Vaughn, finally earn a major role?
Will Deuce Vaughn Make it Out of Training Camp?
After rushing for nearly 3,000 yards in two seasons as Kansas State's starting tailback, the Cowboys selected Vaughn with the 212th pick in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. With veterans Tony Pollard and Ronald Jones leading the way, Vaughn appeared in just seven games during his rookie season, where he rushed for just 40 yards.
Last season, Vaughn yet again struggled to find his way onto the field over aging veterans Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook. Vaughn appeared in just seven games for a second-straight year, this time actually touching the ball 10 times less than he did during his rookie campaign.
With the likes of Elliott, Pollard, and Cook out of the picture, the backfield is a muddled mess in Dallas, boasting one-year 'prove it' deals with former starters Williams and Sanders, coupled with a pair of rookies in Blue and Mafah.
Will Vaughn's collegiate success as a true bell-cow back, in addition to his being the only tailback on the roster with experience with the club, prove to be enough to keep the fan-favorite playmaker on the roster once the season rolls around?