The Dallas Cowboys confirmed the inevitable on Monday when they signed former two-time rushing champ Ezekiel Elliott. The third-leading rusher in Cowboys history, Elliott returns to Dallas after he was released last offseason. He spent the 2023 season with the Patriots, whom he led in rushing.
Overall, there isn't an obvious downside to signing Elliott. It's fantastic for the locker room and will hopefully pay dividends in short-yardage situations. It just stings that the Cowboys didn't find a way to draft a running back or sign one with fresher legs during the free agent frenzy.
The front office has hinted they aren't done adding to the running back room. Given what the free-agent market looks like, it would behoove Dallas to poke around the trade market and see what's out there. Who knows? They might stumble upon a hidden gem.
4. Miles Sanders, Panthers
This could turn into a full-circle moment for the Cowboys, who were widely linked with Texas running back Jonathon Brooks before and during the NFL Draft. After Jerry Jones showered Brooks with praise, essentially confirming Dallas' interest, the Panthers traded up in round two to take Brooks.
Coming off a torn ACL, Brooks is still expected to make an impact in year one. The fact Carolina traded a 2025 day two pick for the former Longhorn tells us they view him as their long-term running back with the potential to grab hold of the starting gig as soon as next season.
Either way, the Brooks pick is bad news for Sanders, who signed a four-year, $25.4 million contract with the Panthers last offseason. Carolina's offense was a brutal watch, but Sanders underperformed relative to expectations.
He averaged 3.3 yards per carry and lost the starting gig mid-season to Chuba Hubbard, who produced 109 more carries and more than double the yards. A fourth-round pick in 2021, Hubbard is still under contract. Brooks entering the fold only further muddies the water for Sanders.
There's a buy-low opportunity here for Dallas so long as the Panthers agree to swallow some of Sanders' remaining contract.
3. Khalil Herbert, Bears
It's hard to say if the Cowboys wanted to draft Roschon Johnson last year, but the Bears deprived them of that opportunity. The Texas product impressed as a rookie in limited opportunites, but he had to fend off Herbert and veteran D'onta Foreman for carries.
The Johnson selection and Foreman signing were puzzling given Herbert's breakout 2022 season. With then-starter David Montgomery battling injury, Herbert handled 129 carries for 729 yards. His 5.7 yards per carry was the most of any RB in the league and he finished third in yards after contact per attempt, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Herbert followed that up with just 132 carries last season, including six contests with less than 10 attempts even though his 79.4 rushing grade was the highest in the Bears backfield. Though Foreman is gone, Johnson will be back and the Bears signed D'Andre Swift to a three-year, $27 million contract with $15.3 million guaranteed.
With Swift stepping in as RB1 and Chicago likely to get Johnson more involved in year two, Herbert could struggle for work, making him a perfect buy-low trade target.
2. Dameon Pierce, Texans
A trade for Pierce was begging to be made after the Texans bafflingly traded for longtime Bengals starter Joe Mixon and subsequently gave him a three-year, $27 million contract. That all but confirmed Mixon will be their workhorse back, but Houston doubled down on upgrading its backfield during the draft when they selected Louisville standout Jawhar Jordan in the sixth round.
Mixon has been a bell-cow back his entire career and that doesn't figure to change now that he's switched uniforms. With Mixon a lock to get 20 touches per game and the Texans likely clamoring to give Jordan some run, Pierce could be hard-pressed to find a consistent role.
Pierce was supplanted as RB1 by Devin Singletary last year and averaged 2.9 yards per carry over 145 carries. It doesn't seem that Pierce is a great fit with Texans offensive coordinator Bob Slowik.
Despite the down year, Pierce is one season removed from taking the league by storm as a rookie. He's one of the best backs in terms of forcing missed tackles and picking up yards through contact. Still just 24 years old, Pierce has two years left on his rookie contract so he'd cost nickels and pennies on the salary cap on top of being available for a day three pick, likely a sixth- or seventh-rounder.
1. Javonte Williams, Broncos
Williams had a banner rookie season in 2021, rushing for 904 yards and four touchdowns on 4.4 yards per carry. He ranked fourth in yards after contact per attempt, second in missed tackles forced and seventh in explosive runs, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Williams suffered a devastating knee injury the following year and played just four games. He returned to play 16 games last season, but wasn't nearly as efficient. He averaged 3.6 yards per attempt and finished with 744 rushing yards. More notable, though, was the fact he lost work to Samaje Perine and former undrafted free agent Jaleel McLaughlin.
Not only will Perine and McLaughlin will be back next season, but the Broncos just spent a fourth-round pick on Notre Dame bruiser Audric Estime. Williams is the best pound-for-pound back in Denver, but he'll now have to overcome a crowded backfield and a thick-minded coach in Sean Payton.
Having just turned 24 years old, Williams is smack in the middle of his prime and will cost just $1.4 million next season. His combination of speed and power would give Dallas its only complete back on the roster.