3 wrinkles the Cowboys must iron out before the 2023 season
By Reid Hanson
3. The roles for each running back
Mike McCarthy has been steadfast in his calls for a strong running game this coming season. His “we just want to run the damn ball” quote was played and replayed countless times and speculation as to what the Cowboys offense will be, have run rampant as a result.
However the Cowboys offense ultimately looks in 2023, the RB position is expected to play a fairly significant part, raising concerns over what individual roles the various unproven players on the roster will play.
Every player on the roster is unproven in some regard. Tony Pollard has never stood alone at the top of the depth chart and has yet to log even 200 carries in a season. It’s unknown how much more of a workload he can handle without impacting his efficiency.
Can Tony Pollard handle a heavier workload with Zeke gone or will it hurt his explosiveness?
— Reid D Hanson (@ReidDHanson) July 10, 2023
2021: 130 attempts/17 explosives/13.07 rate
2022: 193/31/16.06
Based on increase in 2022 his explosive rate IMPROVED with more attempts 🧐 #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/cz4u7LMqem
Rico Dowdle has been a promising prospect dating back to college, but he’s never been able to stay healthy to fulfill his promise as a full-time runner. Malik Davis has flashed greatness, but can he be a consistent option who the coaches trust? Ronald Jones was once a proven runner, but he faded when he bulked up and it’s unknown if he can ever recoup his game again.
The rookie Deuce Vaughn is abnormally small and as such hard to project in any role other than change-of-pace runner. And the UDFA FB Hunter Luepke has yet to standout out in any one way and now appears on the wrong side of the bubble.
It’s hard to tell what each player offers the position, let alone what role each of them can play on offense for the Cowboys.
Who will be short yardage? Who has the ability to pass protect? Who can play special teams? Can the diminutive Vaughn do any of those things? Is Davis back in the good graces of the coaching staff?
There’s still a lot to iron out at the RB position for the Cowboys this preseason
It's clear the Cowboys still have a few critical issues they need to iron out before the regular season begins. Will players step up or will these items come back to haunt Dallas?
More from Our Site:
manual