Cowboys Issue Bold Prediction on 'Dine & Dash 2.0' RB Draft Haul

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated Apr 28, 2025 11:24 AM ET

We all remember the "Dine and Dash'' duo of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard for the Dallas Cowboys, as our own Mike Fisher called it, and now the franchise might be bringing it back.

With Zeke the hammer (with the "Feed Me'' spoon) and Pollard the twinkle-toed lightning strike, the pair created a finely balanced tandem behind Dak Prescott, with Elliott "dining'' on power yards before Pollard would "dash" through and create big, explosive plays.

That has been missing for a couple of seasons, but it could be on the way back with Dallas' draft haul seeing the franchise select Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah.

Blue and his 4.38 40-yard dash time sees him as a home-run threat on any given play, and the thought of what Jaydon could do for the offense behind what is now a solidly put together offensive line gives Cowboy Nation hope the run game will be vastly different than a year ago.

So that takes care of the lighting (or dash) part of the equation, but what about the dine (the downhill runner)? Mafah has that covered.

"I would say a powerful back who likes to make guys miss any way possible," Mafah said on the Draft Show. "Whether it's running through them, jumping over them, duking them out, I just love to play with physicality, and I love to show others that I can also be nimble at the same time."

With Blue and Mafah coming into a running back room that already consists of Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders, Deuce Vaughn, and Malik Davis, that is six backs the Cowboys have on the roster.

Enter a training camp battle for the ages.

But don't discount Blue and Mafah being No. 1 and No. 2 on the depth chart come Week 1 after Brian Schottenheimer's comments on the pair's potential being starters.

“I would hope so,'' he said, "or otherwise we wouldn’t have drafted them.”

That's a pretty bold semi-prediction right there.

The Cowboys used the "Dine and Dash'' duo of Elliott and Pollard to good effect a couple of seasons ago, and now the offense might have the second coming of it in Schotty's run-heavy scheme.

Blue and Mafah as the new sheriffs in town? Don't discount it, folks.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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