The Dallas Cowboys overhauled their running back room in the offseason. They brought in two serviceable veterans in Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, while also taking Texas speedster Jaydon Blue in the 2025 NFL draft.
Those were some risky moves. Sanders hadn't been as efficient in recent years and was in the backend of his prime, while Williams had also missed some time with a major injury and never had a 1,000-yard season. Fast forward to today, and while Williams is playing the best football of his career, the Cowboys don't have someone to back him up, as Sanders' season is over due to injury, while Blue is struggling to generate much on the ground.
Now that they have some time to reflect during their bye week, the Cowboys likely wish that they hadn't let Rico Dowdle leave town during free agency.
Cowboys Should Regret Moving on from RB Rico Dowdle
After several years in the Lone Star State, Dowdle left the Cowboys in free agency to join the Carolina Panthers on a one-year contract. The ex-Dallas RB was expected to play behind starting rusher Chuba Hubbard; however, an early-season injury to Hubbard opened the door for Dowdle to step up, and he made the most of the opportunity — including when he faced the Cowboys in Week 6.
Dowdle torched defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus' shaky unit with a whopping 183 rushing yards on 30 carries to go along with four receptions on five targets for 56 yards and one touchdown. He's made the most of every chance he's gotten when Hubbard was sidelined, and he's been the Panthers' best running back this season.
The Cowboys, on the other hand, lost Miles Sanders just a handful of games into the season, and they just demoted Jaydon Blue to make room for Malik Davis. Davis wasn't a factor in the loss to the Arizona Cardinals, and with Blue in the doghouse after some ball-security issues and concerns about his work ethic, this team doesn't have a legitimate backup.
Granted, it's not like Dowdle looked like a superstar in Arlington. Then again, he had 1,079 rushing yards and two touchdowns while averaging a respectable 4.6 rushing yards per carry last season. Also, the running game has been much better during head coach Brian Schottenheimer's first year, so perhaps he would thrive with the Cowboys as well.
Williams has played quite well this season, and the Cowboys should be glad that they gave him a chance to prove that he could still be a starting running back in this league. But if he were to go down with an injury, America's Team will likely wish they still had Dowdle waiting in the wings.