There's no doubt that the Dallas Cowboys should be addressing the running back position in the 2025 NFL Draft. We saw last offseason how poorly the strategy of "pretty much ignore it" went. The free agent duo of Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders are intriguing, but they can't be the only solution.
But the Cowboys have so many draft needs (and some they're looking at early in the draft) that fans shouldn't expect it to be a guy like Ashton Jeanty coming in to save the backfield. Instead it's likely to be a late-round pick or two.
In the leadup to the draft the Cowboys have even tipped their hand about which late-rounder they prefer — and it's not one that's going to excite fans.
Damien Martinez Emerging as Cowboys' Top RB Draft Target
There are only three prospects the Cowboys have hosted for multiple visits ahead of the draft, and two of them were defensive players. The one on offense was a running back: Miami's Damien Martinez.
Martinez projects as a late-round pick (NFL.com has him with a Round 6 projection), and that fits into where Dallas should be looking to address the position. They have the third-last pick in Round 5, two picks in Round 6 and the first pick in Round 7. That's four picks that all fall right into Martinez' likely draft range.
But Martinez feels like an underwhelming, short-term-focused pick.
He's a fun back to watch, with size, strength and physicality that will remind Cowboys fans of Marion Barber. And while he was a lot of fun to watch, how much value does a guy like that bring to a modern NFL offense — especially when you consider that we're talking having a similar style, not similar level of talent, to Marion the Barbarian.
That's not someone who ever profiles to have the upside of being a lead back in an offense, let alone a real workhorse. Of course you're not expecting your sixth-round running back to be the next Ezekiel Elliott, but you usually at least want them to have the potential to be a starter.
Instead, Martinez feels like he would be a short-term answer to addressing a specific role that needs filling — Williams and Sanders don't bring the physicality and short-yardage value that Martinez would.
So this pick would not only be a firm commitment to a committee backfield, but it would also commit the Cowboys to needing to consistently bring in players like Williams and Sanders, who offer more as receivers and with big-play ability, for as long as Martinez is in town.