Dallas Cowboys: Early 53-man roster prediction with Andy Dalton, surprise cut
By Randy Gurzi
Running Back (4): Ezekiel Elliott, Tony Pollard, Jamize Olawale, Rico Dowdle
Last season, the Cowboys went incredibly thin at the running back position. This was unexpected as they entered training camp with veteran Alfred Morris behind rookie Tony Pollard while they negotiated until the 11th hour with Ezekiel Elliott. They then decided not to retain Morris and went into Week 1 with just Zeke and Pollard as well as fullback Jamize Olawale.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
That remained the case throughout the season and there was even one contest where Elliott was the only halfback on the roster as Pollard missed a game and no one was added to the team. That was an odd situation and will be unlikely to happen again with Mike McCarthy now in charge.
Of course, Elliott and Pollard will remain the top two backs. Zeke is a former NFL rushing champion and the straw that stirs the Cowboys’ drink — sorry about that analogy. Pollard offers up an explosive change of pace back that really played well as a rookie. He’s much shiftier than Elliott and can take any play to the house.
Olawale was hardly used last year but is all but guaranteed to return after being extended in the offseason, even if special teams is his calling card. The fourth back will be another halfback as Rico Dowdle makes the cut in this prediction. Dowdle has NFL size and speed and was the best back for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
However, injuries hampered him throughout his career in Columbia. Should he be able to shake the durability concerns, he has a shot to make it to the 53-man roster. The question from there is if he can ever take snaps from Elliott or Pollard, which is highly unlikely.