It is early in NFL training camp, of course, with the Cowboys just putting on the pads for the first time on Tuesday, and while many of the team’s storylines are focused off the field, one of the big on-field stories will be the committee of running backs the Cowboys have assembled to replace star back Tony Pollard, who left for the Titans this offseason.
In the process of praising one member of the committee, though, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones may have revealed a very possible and prominent future roster cut: popular running back Deuce Vaughn.
Jones, appearing on 105.3 “The Fan” in Dallas on Monday, started by praising free-agent find Royce Freeman.
“That Freeman guy has really impressed,” Jones said, via the Dallas Morning-News. “We were just talking about it [Sunday] at the scout dinner. ‘What in the hell was he doing sitting around out there?’ An interesting guy to just have been sitting there.”
“He’s a great two-three combination in terms of what he can do as a backup,” Jones said. “He’s a big, thick guy. And he’s a hell of a special teams player as well. He’ll be a good addition and great complement to [Ezekiel Elliott]. And then we’ll let these young guys between [Rico Dowdle and Malik Davis] and those guys [will] battle it out.”
Not mentioned among that final four: Vaughn, the team’s sixth-round draft pick last year.
Deuce Vaughn Became a Fan Favorite Last Preseason
Ironically, the Cowboys’ decision to water down the running back spot by turning it into a committee rather than having one star back getting the bulk of the carries is likely to cost Vaughn his spot on the 53-man roster. He is useful as a spot player who returns kicks, but if the Cowboys can use Freeman in the return game, they don’t need Vaughn.
More important, they can focus on keeping four backs who have a real chance at getting consistent carries. At 5-foot-5, Vaughn can only be used sporadically.
He did gain popularity among Cowboys fans during last preseason when, in the opener against the Jaguars, he provided a series of highlight plays that culminated in a touchdown and chants of, “Deeeeuuuuucceeee.”
But things slowed for Vaughn from there. He had five carries for 14 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys’ second preseason game, and no carries in the finale. He had 23 carries for 40 yards during the season, as well as seven catches for another 40 yards. Vaughn also had four punt returns for 19 yards.
Vaughn is clearly a fan favorite, but this team is stretched to its roster limits, and can’t afford to keep players for sentimental reasons. He could be back with the Cowboys, but more likely on the practice squad than the active roster.
Cowboys Hopeful on Royce Freeman
Still, on the plus side, Jones’ comments about Freeman are encouraging, even if they do indicate that the Cowboys waited to find someone “just sitting around” before finally signing him.
Freeman, a third-round pick by the Broncos, is in his seventh NFL season and rushed for 319 yards on 77 carries last season, an average of 4.1 per carry, the second-best of his career. He has played 79 games for four seasons, and has just nine starts to his credit, meaning that while he could be a good complement to Elliott, he is not likely a threat to take the starting job.
There are low expectations for the running game, despite Jones’ apparent upbeat outlook. Pro Football Focus has the Cowboys backs ranked dead last in the NFL entering the season.
“After letting Tony Pollard sign elsewhere in free agency, and missing out on the top backs in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys re-signed Ezekiel Elliott to be their lead rusher,” PFF noted.
“Elliott’s glory days came with the Cowboys, but his yards per carry average has dipped below 4.0 over the past two seasons, resulting in a career-low 69.2 PFF rushing grade in 2023. Behind him are Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn.”
