Cowboys' RB Room Hit by Potentially Disastrous Injury
By Jovan Alford
The Dallas Cowboys didn’t address the running back room in the offseason after seeing Tony Pollard depart in free agency and sign a multi-year deal with the Tennessee Titans.
Instead of trying to go after one of the big names at running back, the Cowboys re-signed Rico Dowdle, brought back Ezekiel Elliott, and signed Royce Freeman to join second-year back Deuce Vaughn, Malik Davis, and UDFA Nathaniel Peat.
On paper, it isn’t the most talented group, but one that Dallas believes can help them win the NFC East and potentially make a deep playoff run. However, this might not be the same RB room when the regular season begins due to training camp injuries.
Last week, the Cowboys saw Vaughn go down with a hamstring injury, which isn’t ideal, given he’s competing for a spot on the 53-man roster. Along with Vaughn, Freeman is banged up too as he left Monday’s practice with a potential groin strain, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Prescott’s best pass of the day was down the seam to TE Peyton Hendershot over LB Damone Clark, but Hendershot was unable to hang on to the pass. The throw was perfect.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) August 5, 2024
RB Royce Freeman left practice with a potential groin strain. That led to more work for Snoop Conner.
According to Archer, Snoop Conner received more work with the departure of Freeman. Dallas hopes the veteran running back’s injury isn’t more serious than reported as he’s impressed the Cowboys' brass in training camp.
Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones told reporters last week that Freeman could be a “good complement” to Elliott and be a contributor on special teams.
The Cowboys will likely wait for more information on Freeman’s injury before discussing any potential moves to the running back room. However, if he’s out for an extended period, the team might have to work the free-agent market as the RB position will loom large in their success in 2024.
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