On Thursday night, the Dallas Cowboys did not take a running back or wide receiver in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. In the days and weeks leading up to the draft, many mock drafts had the Cowboys taking a wide receiver like Tetairoa McMillan/Matthew Golden, or a running back.
However, Dallas had other ideas. They took guard Tyler Booker at No. 12, who will likely replace recently retired lineman Zack Martin. The Cowboys enter Day 2 of the NFL draft with two picks (No. 44 – second round and No. 76 – third round), and could use one of those selections on a running back.
Only two running backs were selected in the first round (Ashton Jeanty and Omarion Hampton), leaving guys like TraVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, and Kaleb Johnson as possible options for Dallas.
If Dallas goes that route on Friday night, it could spell trouble for veteran running back Miles Sanders. Last month, the Cowboys signed Sanders to a cheap one-year, $1.337 million contract in free agency.
The Carolina Panthers released 27-year-old running back after signing him to a huge four-year, $25 million contract in Mar. 2023. Sanders was expected to be the team’s lead back, but he was outplayed by Chubba Hubbard in 2023 and ultimately relegated to an RB2 role last season in Carolina.
In his two years with the Panthers, Sanders averaged 3.5 yards per carry – a big drop-off from his time with the Philadelphia Eagles (5.0 YPC). The veteran running back will try to return his Eagles form in Dallas, but it won’t be easy, as he’ll be splitting time with Javonte Williams.
The Cowboys also signed Williams in free agency, but he got a one-year, $3 million deal. With Dallas signing both RBs to one-year deals, they aren’t committed to either guy for the long term, who could be cut at any time.
That said, Sanders is getting $1.3 million, making him the easier guy to cut if he doesn’t play well in preseason and gets outplayed by a potential rookie.
Most Cowboys fans likely think that Deuce Vaughn could be on the chopping block with the addition of a rookie running back. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Dallas moved on from Sanders for the reasons above. Let’s see if the Cowboys make an addition to the running back room on Friday night after not doing so in last year’s NFL draft.