There is a lot going on with the Dallas Cowboys at the moment. They were strangely inactive during the offseason when it came to adding to their roster. Dallas also has contract negotiations with their three biggest stars in Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons looming over their heads. On top of that, the Cowboys have positional training camp battles to sort out before the 2024 NFL season kicks off too. The biggest of those battles are taking place at running back and center.
Who is the Cowboys' number-one running back?
Dallas did not add many players in the offseason, but they sure did lose a number of key pieces from last year's team. One of those players was running back Tony Pollard, who signed a big deal with the Tennessee Titans in free agency. Pollard had a down 2023 season, but he ran for at least 5.2 yards per carry in three of the four previous years. Losing him is a big deal.
The only notable running back the Cowboys brought in was a familiar one. That would be Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott had some great seasons with Dallas after getting drafted fourth overall by them in 2015. But his play has declined in recent seasons. He hasn't exceeded 4.2 yards per carry in a season since 2019 and was below that four mark in each of his last two campaigns.
Elliott did not produce as a runner last season with the New England Patriots but he was useful in the passing game. He brought in 51 of 65 targets for 313 yards and scored twice through the air.
That will be important for Elliott in his training camp battle with Rico Dowdle to become the Cowboys' primary running back for the 2024 NFL season. Dowdle never got a chance to show what he could do until last season, where he was solid. His 4.1 yards per carry wasn't great but he did average 3.92 yards created per touch. That ranked ninth among all running backs last year according to playerprofiler.com.
This Cowboys training camp battle could go in any direction. Either Dowdle or Elliott could establish themself as the number one back or neither could perform and Dallas finally brings someone in. It will likely be a 50-50 split. How this backfield shakes up is worth monitoring.
Who will be the new center?
Another player the Cowboys lost in free agency was center Tyler Biadasz. Biadasz replaced another former Wisconsin Badger Travis Frederick after getting drafted in the fourth round by Dallas in 2020. However, he joined the division rival Washington Commanders this offseason, leaving Dallas with a gaping hole up front.
Whoever wins that job is anyone's guess. The two frontrunners to win that training camp battle for the Cowboys before the 2024 NFL season are Brock Hoffman and TJ Bass. Hoffman is entering his third year in the NFL after playing his college ball at Virginia Tech. He's filled in as an injury replacement here and there but hasn't gotten a ton of playing time outside of that.
He will be competing with 2024 third-round pick Cooper Beebe. Beebe was a solid and versatile offensive lineman at Kansas State who played all over the place in his time there. That is, except at center. He was mostly a guard in college. But with Tyler Smith and Zack Martin occupying those spots, his most immediate path to the field is at center.
However, those two aren't the only ones gunning for that center spot. TJ Bass and Dakoda Shepley have gotten reps there too. This Cowboys position battle will linger all throughout training camp until Week 1 of the 2024 season. It's an important one too and one that Dallas will have to keep tabs on.
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