Outside looking in: Darius Jackson, Jordan Chunn
Back in 2016 when the Cowboys took Ezekiel Elliott in the first round, they also added Darius Jackson in the sixth. The Eastern Michigan product came in with great size (6-foot-0, 221-pounds) and was a tough runner.
He quickly won fans over and has shown some great athleticism. The problem is he can’t stay healthy and has yet to put it together on the field. Jackson spent the majority of his rookie season on the roster but was eventually waived and claimed by the Cleveland Browns. He was injured there throughout the entire 2017 season before again being waived.
Jackson then returned to the Cowboys, headed to the Green Bay Packers, and back to Dallas last season. He finished with just 16 yards on six carries and added 90 yards on four kick returns. He’s going to need a big preseason to crack the roster with the new players ahead of him, but he hasn’t given up yet.
Lastly, there’s Jordan Chunn who was signed in 2018 as an undrafted free agent out of Troy. The 6-foot, 230-pound Chunn was a bruiser for the Trojans, running for 3,124 yards and 47 touchdowns in his career.
As a rookie, he had 47 yards on 14 carries during the preseason but then spent the entire year on the practice squad. He too has a rough path to the 53-man roster but could be a candidate for the practice squad once again.