Cowboys will have to prove popular narrative wrong for two consecutive years but it will be tougher to do in 2025 NFL season

It's no secret the Dallas Cowboys have a running back problem. 

But in the eyes of the NFL world, it's a bigger one than fans might imagine. That's at least if we're going by PFF position rankings. Recently, analyst Dalton Wasserman ranked the Cowboys running back unit dead last in the league. 

It isn't something new for Dallas, which ranked 32nd in the same rankings last year. And while the Cowboys didn't have a fear-inducing ground attack in 2024, it's fair to say those rankings were proven wrong. Even if not by a lot.

The Cowboys ranked 14th in rushing success rate per RBSDM.com and 26th in rush EPA/play. Starting running back Rico Dowdle ranked 21st in PFF offense grade among NFL running backs. Again, I'm not trying to say the unit was above average even, but there were worse units in the league and once the Cowboys shifted from Ezekiel Elliott to Dowdle, things improved. 

This year, proving the PFF rankings wrong will be slightly more difficult. The Cowboys have a new slate of running backs excluding roster fringe player Deuce Vaughn. Below is Wasserman's argument to rank Dallas as low as he did: 

The Cowboys allowed their two leading rushers, Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott, to leave in free agency. Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders have since taken their place.

Williams struggled in Denver, recording just a 64.6 PFF rushing grade over the past three seasons. Sanders has yet to rediscover the high level of production he showed in 2022 with Philadelphia. Fifth-round rookie Jaydon Blue could provide a boost with his speed and receiving ability, but he’s never been a workhorse type of back. Dallas’ running back situation could become a major issue during the 2025 season.

Unlike last year when the Cowboys had Dowdle—who we knew to be productive and talented albeit not being the guy everyone would have at the top of their fantasy football boards—the team is betting on two veterans who have failed to average over four yards per attempt over the last couple of years and two Day 3 rookies. 

Jaydon Blue is generating some hype because of his explosiveness but as Wasserman points out, he's undersized for a true RB1 role, which is probably the biggest reason why he dropped to the fifth round.

If the Cowboys are going to prove the NFL world wrong, it'll have to be on the back of an unlikely hero stepping up. Will it be Williams, who's expected to be healthier than he has been since a nasty knee injury? Will it be Blue taking the league by storm? Perhaps someone even unlikelier like Miles Sanders or Deuce Vaughn? 

Time will tell but the Cowboys need to do everything to avoid this becoming an issue.