Deuce

Vaughn

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.

Vaughn will be inactive for the first time this season, which could mean additional work for Rico Dowdle behind starter Tony Pollard. Trey Lance will again serve as the team’s emergency quarterback.

Vaughn played behind both Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle again in Week 5, with the blowout loss providing him his sparse workload. There may be something there for Vaughn in the future as far as fantasy value goes, but he’ll likely require an injury ahead of him on the depth chart to realize that value in 2023.

Dowdle has served as Tony Pollard’s backup this year. With the Cowboys getting to bench their starters in the fourth quarter multiple times, Dowdle has managed to rack up 20 carries for 80 yards plus five carries for 50 yards and a touchdown. If he can’t suit up in Week 5, Deuce Vaughn will take on the backup duties.

Vaughn, who had six garbage time carries in Week 1 against the Giants, relieved Tony Pollard from time and time in the second half of the team’s win over the Jets. Vaughn would probably share the backfield with Rico Dowdle should Pollard miss time in 2023.

Vaughn’s high point in the night came on his first carry when he shook multiple defenders for a 14-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, he couldn’t add to his yardage total on four additional carries and managed just one catch for a one-yard loss. Vaughn worked behind Malik Davis and Rico Dowdle in this one and has now rushed 12 times for 62 yards and two touchdowns and continues to push for regular-season touches.

This would leave Tony Pollard, Rico Dowdle, and Deuce Vaughn as the only three running backs on the Cowboys’ roster once camp breaks. As Machota notes in his article, Vaughn’s 8-50-1 rushing line from last week’s preseason game against the Jaguars helped in securing his roster spot, while Dowdle has been running as the RB2 behind Pollard for much of the offseason. With two preseason games yet to go, it’s possible Davis finds a way to stick on the roster, but he could be on the outside looking in heading into Week 1.