FRISCO - It's a numbers game. ...
Especially when one of your numbers is " inches.''
The Dallas Cowboys have spent this offseason completely remaking the running back room, saying goodbye to leading rusher Rico Dowdle (who signed with Carolina in free agency) and then taking two levels of "big swings'' of talent acquistion.
Swing No. 1: Veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders were signed in free agency on the cheap. Both guys have been NFL starters ... but both are also on contracts that make them potentially expendable.
Swing No. 2: The Cowboys doubled down on their running back needs in the recent NFL Draft, as both Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah were selected and could complement each other nicely, with the 5-9, 195-pound sprinter Blue providing the lighting and the 6-1, 235-pound punisher Mafah providing the thunder behind Dak Prescott in 2025.
But that's four new running backs added to the roster.
There's still Deuce Vaughn and Malik Davis to think about here. We can add fullback Hunter Luepke, too. Will Dallas carry six backs into the 2025 season? No.
And it is here where we explore the brutal side of the NFL.
We all saw Deuce's draft call with his father, Chris, who is a scout for the Cowboys, and that was good for the soul. But entering his third NFL offseason, Deuce has been used sparingly, totaling just 110 yards from 40 attempts in 14 games (zero starts).
We have seen Deuce's skills during preseason with his shiftiness on display as he scatters downfield to pick up chink yards, but in the regular season, he falls down the depth chart.
As things stand right now, he could be fourth behind Williams, Sanders, and Blue. Plus, Schottenheimer envisions starting roles for Blue and Mafah. Where does that leave Deuce?
The sensible prediction is that the 5-6 Deuce loses his "game of inches'' and gets cut loose.
With Conor Riley, Vaughn's former coach at Kansas State, now Dallas' offensive line coach, maybe that is the thread Deuce needs to hang on to for dear life as things are looking tough for him to stick around in Dallas long-term.
Yes, it is only Year 3, so he has two years left on his rookie deal, but it feels that with the selections of Blue and Mafah, coupled with the veteran signings of Sanders and Williams, finding adequate playing time is as hard as ever for Deuce, not to mention Davis, too.
Now, we hope that he shows up in camp and explodes to give the coaching staff something to think about, but if not, this NFL journey that started out as a genuine tear-jerker might not have the fairytale ending once envisioned.
