Deuce

Vaughn

He’ll prepare to be the next Tyler Badie. The 23-year-old Vaughn has good pass-catching chops and has performed well in small samples when given a chance, but his lack of size makes it hard to believe he’ll ever be more than a complementary NFL back.

Vaughn was waived by the Cowboys at last cuts and went unclaimed. The Broncos kept four running backs but don’t have one on their practice squad, so it’s possible Vaughn will get signed to help remedy that problem.

Vaughn had six carries for 37 yards in Week 18 last year, but hasn’t played more than 22 offensive snaps in a regular season game yet. He’s performed well in preseason play and is likely a practice squad candidate — he had a 67.6 PFF run grade in 52 snaps this year. This may be a sign that Dallas plans to keep Miles Sanders.

The Cowboys’ punt return specialist is back. Regarding running back duties, Vaughn is fighting for a spot in the rotation, with Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah now in the fold. Vaughn is not fantasy-relevant at this time.

The Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins said this hamstring injury is considered less serious than the one Vaughn suffered last season. Vaughn said he does not “expect to miss too much time.” He’s currently an afterthought after the team added Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders in free agency this offseason, but Vaughn could make a play for the third-down role against rookie Jaydon Blue with a big camp.

Vaughn was forced into RB2 duties for Week 18 after the Cowboys released Ezekiel Elliott. He saw six carries against the Commanders, inflating his season totals to 17 carries for 70 yards, with three catches for 18 yards. Vaughn never really got going as more than a depth option in the Cowboys’ backfield. He finishes his second season in the NFL with minimal fantasy impact, as his size keeps him out of the backfield often, despite some burst plays. Unlikely to find a lead or daily role any time soon, fantasy managers can expect Vaughn to be a strictly depth piece without long-term fantasy considerations.

Dowdle was the first back in the game for the Cowboys, ahead of Deuce Vaughn and Ezekiel Elliott. He saw some heavy usage on checkdowns from Dak Prescott and tacked on efficient runs in the first half. With the Cowboys down big in the second half, Dowdle was not in as much and finished the day with 11 touches. The backfield workload continues to unfold for the Cowboys, with Dowdle seeing the favorable side over Elliott this time. Vaughn also added four carries for 11 yards and one catch for six yards. Dowdle is a flex play heading into Week 3 against the Ravens.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport were first on the report, stating that the Cowboys and Elliott have agreed to terms on a deal pending a physical. The two sides parted ways last offseason as part of a cap-saving move that cleared $11 million for the Cowboys last offseason. Zeke would eventually land in New England, where he served as a lightly-used backup before turning into a PPR merchant Week 14 after Rhamondre Stevenson was sidelined with a high-ankle injury. Over the final five weeks of the season, Zeke rushed for 72-213-1, while adding another 27-159-2 through the air. He averaged a mere 3.5 YPC on the season, and at almost 29 years old, continues to look like a player who has hit the proverbial wall. Opportunities will be easy to come by in a Dallas backfield that currently features Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, and Royce Freeman, but Zeke shouldn’t be viewed as a permanent solution to this backfield’s problems. With that said, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy stubbornly deploy him in a lead role early on.

Vaughn will now miss at least four games, meaning he can only return this season if the Cowboys make the Super Bowl. The sixth-round rookie never found much of a role in the Dallas offense. He ended the year with 23 carries for 40 yards and seven catches for an additional 40 yards. Vaughn also occasionally pitched in on special teams including four punt returns. The diminutive back will look to carve out a larger role during the offseason program next year, though he will not be on the redraft radar.

Rico Dowdle being out with an ankle injury means Vaughn, a rookie who has been a healthy scratch for most of the season, will operate as the team’s RB2 behind Tony Pollard on Saturday. He won’t have any fantasy value unless Pollard gets dinged up and Dowdle remains hurt.