It’s not blasphemy to say the long term solution at running back for the Dallas Cowboys isn’t probably on the roster right now.
The Cowboys have done something along the lines of using duct tape to fix the problem at running back in 2025. If we’re being kind we can call it a “by committee” approach, but history tells us it’s a problem that’s not going away anytime soon.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine thinks the Cowboys will head into free agency next year and will make a move on running back Tyler Allgeier, who rushed for 1,000 yards as a rookie in 2022 but has been buried on the depth chart behind Bijan Robinson the last 2 seasons.
“The Cowboys could be back to square one in the backfield,” Ballentine wrote on August 11. “Tyler Allgeier is a key name in an interesting free agent class of running backs. He’s been the thumper who complements Bijan Robinson over the last two seasons, but could be seeking a bigger role in free agency. The Cowboys could provide that with him playing thunder to (Jaydon) Blue’s lightning in 2026.”c
Falcons Cared Little About Allgeier’s 1K Season
Allgeier capped his career at BYU by rushing for 2,899 yards and 36 touchdowns over his final 2 college seasons, including 1,601 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns in 2021.
In his final collegiate game, Allgeier was named Independence Bowl MVP in a 31-28 loss to UAB in which he rushed for 192 yards and 3 touchdowns on 26 carries.
Allgeier ran a less than desirable 40-yard dash time of 4.60 seconds at the NFL scouting combine and dropped to a fifth round pick (No. 151 overall) by the Falcons in the 2022 NFL draft.
As a rookie, Allgeier led the Falcons with 1,035 yards and averaged 4.9 yards per carry to go with 4 total touchdowns; he also had 16 receptions for 139 yards.
The Falcons rewarded Allgeier’s breakout rookie season by drafting Robinson with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft and immediately made him the featured back, if not the featured player in the entire offense.
Even with that, Allgeier has been more than dutiful in his role as Robinson’s backup. He’s played in 50 out of 51 possible regular season games in 3 seasons and has rushed for over 600 yards each of the last 2 seasons, including 12 career touchdowns.
Cowboys Hoping RB Approach Works in 2025
The sad thing about the Cowboys not making a proper investment in the running back position is they’re legitimately one position away from having one of the NFL’s best offenses.
The Cowboys are unique in they have established NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowl talent at quarterback, tight end, multiple spots on the offensive line and at wide receiver, where new addition George Pickens might team up with CeeDee Lamb to be the best 1-2 duo in the NFL.
What the Cowboys don’t have are any decent running backs.
Free agent signees Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders were discarded by their old teams for good reasons. The Cowboys used 2 draft picks in 2025 on running backs with Jaydon Blue (fifth round) and Phil Mafah (seventh round), but neither can be considered a reliable option at this point.
