Understanding the Cowboys’ Running Back Situation…
The Dallas Cowboys haven’t finished in the top five in running yards since 2019.
Dallas’ once-dominant running game has been declining, but this year it took a dramatic drop, costing the Cowboys in the end.
Last Sunday, starting running backs Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle combined for only 17 carries and 67 yards.
The longest run from either guy was only 11 yards. That will not help you win games.
Consider the best Cowboys teams of the last decade: 2014 with DeMarco Murray, 2016 with then-rookie Ezekiel Elliott, and 2018 with Elliott, when Dallas won the division and a playoff game.
The numbers do not lie. The Cowboys have performed best when a bell-cow running back takes the weight off Dak Prescott.
It expands the play-action game, wears down the opposition, and kills the clock when it counts the most.
Dallas currently does not have that man. They have a significant running back problem, and with two of their starters poised to hit free agency, they will need to answer many questions quickly.
Tony Pollard’s decision to take up RB1 on his own for the first time in his career generated a lot of buzz. Unfortunately, the hype fell hollow.
Pollard had an excellent 2022. He reached 1,000 running yards, averaged more than five yards per carry, scored nine touchdowns, and did not fumble once.
Perhaps most amazingly, he accomplished this while only starting four games, as Elliott remained at the top of the depth chart.
One year later, Pollard had fewer rushing yards on 59 more carries, three fumbles, and three fewer touchdowns, despite starting all 17 games for Dallas.
That is not what the Cowboys had hoped for.