Free agency hasn't exactly gone the way Dallas Cowboys fans were probably hoping — especially at the running back position.
We watched Tony Pollard sign elsewhere. We watched Saquon Barkley sign with another NFC East rival. We saw Derrick Henry sign a big contract. Even mid-tier guys like D'Andre Swift and Zach Moss are off the market.
Dallas has a clear need at running back, but it's become obvious that Jerry Jones won't pay big money for one while there are looming extensions for Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb hanging over the team's salary cap situation.
That doesn't mean Dallas won't sign one (or more), however. And these low-cost free agents are the Cowboys' best options to add a running back without breaking the bank.
1. AJ Dillon
Aaron Jones is the former Green Bay Packers running back earning headlines, but he wasted no time signing with the Minnesota Vikings. AJ Dillon remains available, and likely for a much lower cost too.
Dillon never managed to emerge from Jones' shadow as the RB2 in Green bay, but it wasn't for a lack of skill. You may see his 3.4 yards per carry from 2023 and turn up your nose, but you and I both know that stat never tells the full story.
Often being used in short-yardage situations, Dillon's chances of breaking off long runs were always going to be more limited. And looking at Pro-Football-Reference's success rate metric (which factors in down and distance, so a 5-yard run on 3rd and 15 is not a success, but a 3-yard run on 3rd and 3 is), Dillon has been at or above 50% each year of his NFL career.
Pro Football Focus also didn't think Dillon's low yards per carry were an issue, giving him a rushing grade of 76.1 on the season. That's not as good as his elite 88.1 grade from 2022, sure, but when a "down year" is still earning a solid grade like that? Well that's a pretty good sign.
Dillon doesn't offer a ton as a receiver, so Dallas would need to supplement him with a pass-catcher out of the backfield, but that's the kind of compromise you expect to make when you're adding a discount RB1 option.
2. Ezekiel Elliott
Ezekiel Elliott obviously isn't worth star running back money anymore, but he proved in 2023 that he's transitioned seamlessly into a role player type role that allows him to make a significant impact even though his best years are behind him.
His 3.5 yards per carry were the lowest of his career, but remember what I said earlier about that stat? New England as a team ranked No. 25 in the NFL in that stat, and he was rushing behind a thin, banged up offensive line.
His 69.2 rushing grade from PFF wasn't anything to write home about, but that's still a fine mark, having ranked 65th among 129 graded running backs.
He's also capable of playing both rushing and passing downs, making the offense a lot less predictable when he's on the field than it would be with Jones. His 51 receptions were right in line with the marks he tallied as a workhorse back in 2019 and 2020, and he remains one of the league's better pass-blocking running backs.
After earning just $3 million on his one-year deal in 2023, the 28-year-old Zeke should be very affordable for Dallas, and a reunion would be a lot of fun.
3. Clyde Edwards-Helaire
If Clyde Edwards-Helaire hadn't been a first-round pick he'd probably have a much better reputation. He gets flack for being a draft bust even though he's actually had a fine NFL career so far. It's also not like teams are going to need to pay him like a former first-rounder either.
CEH's role plummeted over the last two seasons, notching 88 touches in 2022 and 87 in 2023 after seeing 217 as a rookie and 138 in 2021. But he still produced well with those smaller workloads — especially as a receiver.
His PFF receiving grade leapt from 63.5 in 2021 to 72.7 in 2022, and then he followed that up with career-high efficiency in 2023. He averaged 8.5 yards per target on his 22 looks, which had him No .3 on the Chiefs for the season (trailing only Justin Watson's 8.7 and Rashee Rice's 9.2).
When we consider the contracts that other first-round "bust" running backs have received (Rashaad Penny got $1.2 million in 2023), CEH should be pretty affordable for Dallas. I don't think he'll be quite as cheap as $1.2 million, but most teams that aren't spending up at running back would rather gamble on a rookie.
Being a true contender, Dallas isn't going to want to trust a rookie on passing downs (especially in blocking for Dak Prescott), so Edwards-Helaire would be a great bargain.
4. D'Onta Foreman
D'Onta Foreman has already bounced around to four different teams in his six-year NFL career, but he's really come into his own in recent years.
After setting a career-high with 203 carries and 914 yards in 2022, he set a career-high with a 53.2% rushing success rate. he also earned the highest overall grade (74.0) and rushing grade (77.4) of his career from PFF.
Foreman is very much an option in the same mold of AJ Dillon. Signing him requires a discount because you'll have to add another running back to the stable that can handle receiving duties. But that factor is typically going to be baked into the asking price, so I'm not too concerned with what Foreman might cost.
Pairing Foreman and, say, Clyde Edwards-Helaire could give the Cowboys an interesting one-two punch wile still probably costing less per year than trying to sign a single high-end lead back.
More Dallas Cowboys news and rumors: