The running back competition remains the hottest storyline in Dallas Cowboys training camp, and it has lived up to the hype so far.
While it's difficult to gauge the current hierarchy since the pads only just came on, it is pretty clear that veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders sit atop the depth chart. Additionally, rookie draftee Jaydon Blue hasn't put a foot wrong in practice.
There’s still plenty of training camp and a full preseason for the pecking order to shake out. But it’s hard not to feel like Deuce Vaughn is on the outside looking in after another camp injury.
Cowboys RB Deuce Vaughn cannot afford to miss any practice time
Vaughn enjoyed a strong start to camp, but he has since missed the last two practices with a hamstring injury. It is worth noting, too, that Vaughn's strong early showing came without pads. A running back with his build should look good in shorts and a practice jersey.
A sixth-round pick in 2023, Vaughn could have made a real statement by continuing to shine with pads, but his absence has cleared a path for rookie seventh-round pick Phil Mafah, who caught Schottenheimer's eye after Sunday's session.
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In fairness to Vaughn, a lot of fans and analysts wrote him off before camp. It stands to reason that he'll return from the sidelines with a vengeance. At the same time, though, he has missed valuable reps the last two practices and no RB has given an inch in the competition.
Here is what Patrik Walker of the Cowboys' official website had to say about the RB battle:
"There is not a clear favorite. there is a slight lean toward the two veterans, JaVonte [Williams] and Miles [Sanders], but Jaydon Blue is making waves, Phil Mafah gaining praise, Hunter Luepke is beloved for his versatility.
Related aside: Deuce Vaughn looks crisp, but it's another camp wherein he's nursing an early injury."
Walker brings up a great point about Vaughn's penchant for picking up knocks in camp. He was sidelined for a week last August with a hamstring injury. It kept him out of the team's first preseason game. He wound up making the 53-man roster, but the RB room is a lot stronger this time around.
Williams and Sanders look like locks assuming the front office doesn't make another move at the position, while Blue and Luepke are seemingly on track to make the cut. The 6'1", 250-pound Mafah is starting to make waves now that the pads are on.
Vaughn might be as good as gone if he isn't able to get back on the field soon.