Dallas Cowboys: Concerns about running back depth

The Dallas Cowboys have one of the best running backs in the NFL on their roster. But can they win games without him with the rest of their depth chart?

In three of the past five seasons, the NFL’s leading rusher has worn The Star on the side of their helmet. In 2014, it was former Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray. For two of the past three years, that player has been Ezekiel Elliott.

And Elliott might have posted three-straight seasons leading the league in rushing yardage if not for an unfortunate six-game suspension he was forced to serve in 2017. Now, Zeke could be facing another possible suspension following an incident that took place in Las Vegas last month that the NFL is reportedly likely to investigate.

Whether Elliott will actual receive a ban or its possible length is unknown. The more important question fans should be asking is have the Cowboys stocked the depth chart with enough talent behind Zeke to allow the team to win without him. The answer is probably a disappointing no.

Elliott’s primary backup last season, Rod Smith, was not re-signed this offseason after a disappointing performance in 2018. Smith, the older brother of Cowboys’ linebacker Jaylon Smith, now plays for his NFC East rivals, the New York Giants.

Instead Dallas opted to add to their current depth chart behind Zeke along with veterans Darius Jackson and Jordan Chunn with draft picks. The Cowboys used a fourth-round selection to draft Memphis running back Tony Pollard. Then they used a seventh rounder on Ohio State’s Mike Weber.

Pollard appears to share many of the gadget traits that wide receiver Tavon Austin displays. But the Cowboys believe the rookie has the size (6-0, 210 pounds) to run between the tackles, something Dallas saw him do during the Senior Bowl. If Pollard is everything the Cowboys are hyping him to be, they may have found themselves a perfect complement to Zeke as a change of pace back.

Weber appears to be more of a Zeke clone, having played at the same college and possessing a similar build (5-10, 211 pounds). But this is a player who slipped all the way down to the seventh round for a reason. Weber lacks burst and acceleration according to NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein, who also believes the rookie’s ceiling is as a RB3. Ouch. And the fact he suffered a knee injury during rookie camp last month doesn’t inspire much confidence.

The bottom-line is fans of the Cowboys should have major concerns about the running back depth chart beyond Elliott. It is a wildly inexperienced group who combined have a total of six NFL regular season snaps between them. All six belonging to Jackson. The Cowboys are basically betting on a rookie, Pollard, being their rushing savior if something prevents Elliott from suiting up on gameday.

With that in mind, don’t be surprised if the Dallas Cowboys add a veteran player to their running back depth chart between now and the upcoming season. One name to watch is Cleveland Browns running back Duke Johnson. The Cowboys were allegedly one of the teams interested in the fifth-year running back earlier this year when he was believed to be on the trading block.