Believe it or not, the Dallas Cowboys have made another outside free agency signing ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, a rarity this year as they had only signed Eric Kendricks before him excluding re-signings.
The Cowboys added running back Royce Freeman by signing him to a one-year deal, per ESPN's Todd Archer.
The move, which was reported on Tuesday, is a quiet one as signing Freeman isn't anything resembling a splash addition. That doesn't mean it isn't a solid move by itself, though: Freeman is a former third-round draft pick and with 471 career carries which makes him by far the most experienced back in Dallas.
The next most-experienced back in the Cowboys is Rico Dowdle, who's amassed 96 rush attempts since arriving at the NFL in 2020, 89 of which happened last year.
Together, the rest of the Cowboys RB room; Deuce Vaughn, Malik Davis, Hunter Luepke (FB), and Snoop Conner; combines for 79 career rush attempts.
But don't let Freeman's experience fool you: The Cowboys trust Dowdle's upside after seeing his work as RB2 in 2023 and they'll still likely target a running back in Day 2 of the upcoming draft.
Additionally, most of Freeman's experience came early on but he hasn't had over 100 attempts in a single season since 2019, his second year in the NFL. He averages 3.5 yards per carry since 2021 and is not much of a receiving threat.
Freeman resembles the Ronald Jones signing last year to a degree, as the Cowboys are adding a veteran back they could make a part of the rotation provided they don't find somebody in the draft. But if they do, Freeman might be looking at a roster cut in late August.
If the Cowboys use their second or third round pick on a back, chances are the rookie will be the projected starter right away as the team approaches things with a RB committee mindset on offense.
In other words, don't expect Freeman to move the needle when it comes to the Cowboys' draft plans, but the signing is somewhat of an insurance policy in terms of depth.
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