Dallas Cowboys' Brian Schottenheimer, Dak Prescott, and Deuce Vaughn celebrate a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

Cowboys' projected starting lineup paints interesting RB picture

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Josh Sanchez | Last updated May 15, 2025 2:43 PM ET

The NFL Draft is in the books, the NFL schedule has been released, and now we have found ourselves at an intriguing part of the offseason. The Dallas Cowboys will get OTAs underway in one week, while mandatory minicamp kicks off in June.

One of the biggest questions surrounding the Cowboys' current roster is at the running back position.

Last season, Rico Dowdle blossomed into the team's starting running back and went on to make Cowboys history, becoming the first undrafted player to rush for 1,000 yards for Dallas, but he bolted for the Carolina Panthers in free agency.

That forced the Cowboys to do a complete overhaul at the position which has led to a mixture of veterans and rookies on the roster.

Bleacher Report's Matt Holder recently dropped starting lineup projections for all 32 teams and his pick for running back paints an interesting picture.

Holder predicts free agent signee Javontae Williams will lead the backfield to start the season.

Dallas also signed veteran Miles Sanders, while drafting Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah. The team also has Deuce Vaughn, a preseason star in 2023, under contract.

Williams getting the start would make sense because he is arguably the most established of the bunch, but as the season goes on, Blue could very likely take a bigger role in the gameplan. He has been compared to Detroit Lions star Jahmyr Gibbs.

The good news for Dallas, unlike last year, is they have several bodies in the running back room who have proven themselves in the past. And with a renewed focus on the running back, there will be a lot of opportunties for someone to establish themselves as the top guy.

Let's just hope it doesn't take until the final quarter of the schedule like it did a year ago.

This article first appeared on Dallas Cowboys on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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