Cowboys 53-man roster prediction before training camp: Prioritizing potential
By Reid Hanson
Running Back (4): Tony Pollard, Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn, Hunter Luepke
Tony Pollard is both the safest pick and the highest potential player of the bunch. He’ll be the unquestioned RB1 for the first time in his career and has yet to see his explosiveness plateau. The sky is the limit for Pollard in 2023.
Malik Davis is arguably the back-up with the highest potential on the roster. Davis flashed in 2022 but fell out of favor with the coaching staff. As long as he can show an ability to pass protect and play special teams, his ceiling should seal the deal.
Speaking of special teams, it’s not known how impactful the rookie Deuce Vaughn can be as a reserve. Vaughn isn’t an experienced return man so talk of him stealing a job from KaVontea Turpin is probably premature and he may not be big enough to work on the coverage units. This means he’s probably going to put pressure on the other RBs to carry the special teams weight. Guys like Hunter Luepke.
Luepke is an UDFA who offers a little bit of everything. He’s a short yardage back, a pass catcher, H-back, TE, and special teams weapon. If he can be McCarthy’s Swiss army knife, he should be able make Rico Dowdle (a beloved ST player) expendable.