4 underrated Cowboys players who could make a massive impact next season

1. Rico Dowdle, RB

Losing Tony Pollard will sting but the Cowboys did the right thing by skipping on a three-year, $24 million deal for Pollard. Perhaps the Titans wind up helping Pollard turn back the clock but Dallas was burnt by expensive running backs in the past and finally seems to have learned their lesson.

Pollard spent the first four seasons of his career as the backup to Ezekiel Elliott and in 2022, he topped 1,000 yards for the first time. He then got his chance to start and while he again topped 1,000 yards, he was only able to cross 100 yards in a game once and his overall efficiency was far from what he showed earlier in his career.

The Cowboys currently have Rico Dowdle, Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn, and Snoop Conner on the roster — and none of those options has much experience. Dowdle, however, did very well when he got an opportunity in 2023. The former undrafted free agent had 361 yards on the ground and 144 as a receiver with four total touchdowns.

Pairing him with a rookie might be enough for the Cowboys to have a potent rushing attack. Even if Dowdle is the No. 2 option, he’s in line for more touches than he’s had at any point in his career and chances are he'll be a vital figure in their offense.

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