Just when you thought there was one area of the Cowboys roster that was, more or less, solved, here we go with the reminders that is not the case. Entering the season, the Cowboys’ hole at running back was glaringly obvious, with Tony Pollard departing in free agency and the team failing to address the issue in the NFL draft.
They also failed to address it in free agency, where Derrick Henry was said to be all but set to sign if the Cowboys made him a credible offer. No credible offer came, of course, and the Cowboys instead merely re-signed Rico Dowdle and brought back aged veteran Ezekiel Elliott.
You know how it played out. Elliott was, and is, washed up. Dowdle, though, has shown he can be a useful back, now at 880 yards over 13 games, with a considerable chance to break the 1,000-yard mark despite being underused early in the year. In Dowdle’s last four games, he has 478 yards on 84 attempts, and for Dallas, when Dowdle rushes at least 19 times, the team is 4-0.
Still, the Cowboys’ miserly approach in the spring of 2024 will be costly in 2025, as they gave Dowdle only a one-year contract. He will be a free agent next spring, and will command much more than the $1.25 million he got this season.
Najee Harris Has Been Consistent
Whether the team brings back Dowdle or not, it is clear that the NFL has shifted in recent years to put more of an emphasis on the running game–which means the Cowboys will need to spend a bit more on the position than they have in the past.
At Bleacher Report, the team is being advised to go after one of the top free-agents on the running-back market, Steelers star Najee Harris.
The site writes: “Dallas entered this weekend averaging just 91.2 rushing yards per game, which is the fifth-fewest in the NFL. Lead backs Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott are both impending free agents in the offseason, so the front office will undoubtedly be in the running back market this spring.
“Harris is an intriguing option since he had over 1,000 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns during the first three years of his career. In 2024, he’s averaging the second-highest yards per game (67.5) of his career and needs just 123 yards to break the quadruple-digit mark again. Plus, the former first-round pick will only be 27 in March.”
Cowboys Need to Make a RB Investment
Harris won’t come cheap. While the Cowboys might be inclined to simply keep Dowdle and add a low-cost backup in free agency or the draft, there’s the possibility that Dowdle will land a bigger offer elsewhere and necessitate the move for a player like Harris.
At Spotrac, the market value for Harris is set at $9.3 million, with a three-year, $27 million contract projected in free agency. That might be undervalued, too, especially after teams like the Ravens with Henry, the Packers with Josh Jacobs and the Eagles with Saquon Barkley were all rewarded handsomely for investing in running backs in free agency last year.
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