It's not unfair to call the Dallas Cowboys' running back room the worst in the NFL. It's hands down the worst in the NFC East, which speaks volumes considering Austin Ekeler is now Dan Quinn's No. 1 option in Washington.
In all seriousness, though, you'd be hard-pressed to name any team with a worse collection of running backs. The Raiders, Panthers, Chargers and Giants all belong in the bottom tier with the Cowboys, but those teams are either rebuilding or in a reset year to massage their salary cap.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys are entering a crossroads season. While they clearly expect better run-blocking with stud rookie Cooper Beebe taking over at center, fans aren't wrong to want an upgrade in the backfield.
Perhaps the front office is waiting for a trade candidate to emerge or a talented player to possibly get cut during training camp. That could explain why they were bystanders in free agency. What is downright impossible to comprehend, though, is Dallas' latest attempt to improve its backfield.
After signing UFL standouts Willie Harvey Jr. and Gareon Conley, the team worked out four more spring stars this week. Among them was running back John Lovett.
Cowboys reportedly workout UFL running back John Lovett
Let's get one thing out of the way: Lovett deserves tremendous props for positioning himself to workout for an NFL team. He starred for former Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips this season, who led the San Antonio Brahmas to the UFL Championship in his first year at the helm.
Lovett's 423 rushing yards were fifth in the league and he finished second with five rushing touchdowns. He played four years at Baylor before transferring to Penn State in 2021 for his fifth year of eligiblity. He led Baylor in rushing in 2018 and '19 despite ranking second on the team in carries.
Lovett signed with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2021 but was released after training camp. His 2023 season in the XFL with the Vegas Vipers earned him another brief stint with the Steelers. Though minimal, it's noteworthy that Lovett has experience with an NFL team. That suggests he won't be overwhelmed in training camp if he gets signed.
However, this feels like a dart throw by the Cowboys more than anything else. As currently constructed, Dallas' RB room consists of Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Hunter Luepke, Royce Freeman, Deuce Vaughn, Snoop Conner, Malik Davis and undrafted free agent Nathaniel Peat.
In a best-case scenario, Lovett signs and shows enough in training camp to make the practice squad. Regardless, the fact this is the Cowboys' first notable move at running back since they signed a journeyman in Freeman suggests they aren't at all motivated to make a definitive upgrade before training camp.
