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The Dallas Cowboys' running back has caused a stir of confusion in the fans' minds leading up to their first matchup of the 2024-25 season. The Cowboys meet the Cleveland Browns at 4:25 PM ET on Sunday, facing one of the most stout defenses in football. They need to have a game plan prepared to put points on the board.
The quartet of Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Dalvin Cook, and Deuce Vaughn is one of the Cowboys' most intriguing backfields in a long time. There are certain attributes in each one of them that will more than likely be utilized at different stages, and they will need to keep the ground game successful in order to give quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb the best chance to keep the offense blossoming downfield.
Elliott is undoubtedly the lead back to start the season, as he's had the most previous success in a Cowboys uniform. He's approaching 30 years of age, so don't expect the ‘Feed Zeke' theme to be reinstated by the fans. Dalvin Cook, also 29 years old, is a former workhorse RB from the Minnesota Vikings, who's racked up 6,207 career rushing yards and 47 touchdowns.
Dowdle is probably the best overall player in this group. He's 26 and gave the Cowboys a quality season in 2023. And then there's Vaughn, while undersized at 5-f00t-6, but can do some serious damage in the running and passing game.
It's a tough one to crack.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network shed some light on how the Cowboys will sprinkle the workload between their ball carriers, calling it a “pretty even split” ahead of the Week 1 Browns matchup.
Expect a "pretty even split" in the backfield between Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle in the Cowboys backfield today, per @TomPelissero. pic.twitter.com/dJ9VRXfsW7
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) September 8, 2024
The Cowboys will be playing with a lot of fire on Sunday. The organization made a surprise move, resetting the NFL QB market with the $240 million contract extension of Dak Prescott. After locking up Lamb last week, as well, the Dallas offense has its cornerstones in place for the future.
Which Dallas Cowboys running back will get the most work?
It's clear that the team is happy with Elliott starting things off for the season. However, don't expect that's how it stays in the upcoming weeks. They signed Cook for veteran leadership, and because they've seen what he can do for an offense in his dual-threat nature. Look for Dowdle to be the biggest sleeper of them all, as he was the one that challenged Tony Pollard the most last year for reps.
