The Dallas Cowboys' preseason opener wasn't anything to write home about, but the performance from the running backs was a bright spot.
Seventh-round rookie Phil Mafah ran hard and looked like he belongs on an NFL roster, while Malik Davis, who re-signed with the team 24 hours before kickoff, led the way with 63 rushing yards on seven carries despite not getting any burn until the fourth quarter.
While Deuce Vaughn didn't do anything to hurt his chances of making the team, Brian Schottenheimer's rotation and overall play-calling revealed a lot about Vaughn's future.
Deuce Vaughn's future with Cowboys more bleak than ever after Week 1 of preseason
Vaughn got the start at running back, but Schottenheimer wanted to get Joe Milton going early and called seven straight passes to start the game. It wasn't until early in the second quarter that Vaughn received his first handoff. He saw two straight carries on Dallas' third possession and that was it for the game.
Mafah, meanwhile, led all Cowboys running backs with 38 offensive snaps, per PFF. Not only that, but Davis shockingly out-snapped Vaughn 15 to 13.
Maybe Schottenheimer wanted to play things safe with Vaughn, who only just returned from a hamstring injury two days before the game. However, the fact Vaughn saw fewer touches than Mafah and Davis, who, again, only rejoined the team on Friday, is not a good sign for the third-year pro.
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Cowboys fans knew they were going to see a lot of Mafah on Saturday. But the expectation is that he would split work with Vaughn. At the very least, fans expected the touch distribution to be closer than 10 to 2. And nobody envisioned Davis to out-touch the former sixth-round pick.
Unfortunately for Vaughn, both Mafah and Davis made the most of their opportunities. Mafah tallied a team-high 17 yards after contact and he lad all running backs with two catches for 15 yards. Davis, meanwhile, played better than anyone could have expected given how late he signed.
Vaughn's lack of workload may be attributed to Schottenheimer's pass-heavy game plan, but if the head coach wanted to see Vaughn in action he would have given him more than two carries and played him more than 13 snaps.
Maybe the plan is to feature Vaughn heavily against the Ravens this weekend, but Mafah and Davis have earned more opportunities, and it's possible that Hunter Luepke dresses after he surprisingly didn't suit up against the Rams.
No matter how you slice it, it's getting increasingly hard to envision a spot on the roster for Vaughn.