Dallas Cowboys running back Deuce Vaughn carries the ball during a training camp drill at River Ridge Playing Fields Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Forgotten Cowboys RB gets first-team reps in injury-plagued backfield

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI
By Josh Sanchez | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 5:02 PM ET

The Dallas Cowboys running back rotation remains up in the air, but veteran Javonte Williams appears to be a strong frontrunner to land the starting job. Behind him, there is a logjam.

One of the forgotten members of the backfield is Deuce Vaughn, who became an NFL preseason hero two seasons ago. Unfortunately, his preseason highlight reel never translated to the regular season, and he finds himself on the roster bubble.

This season, Vaughn is fighting for a roster spot with the team's revamped running back room and he found himself a great opportunity on Tuesday afternoon.

With rookie speedster Jaydon Blue sidelined due to injury, Vaughn received some first-team reps and had a handful of big plays on the day. One standout play came when Vaughn was able to show his burst out of the backfield and made a couple of defenders miss on a big run.

Deuce Vaughn getting some reps with the first-team unit today with Jaydon Blue out and Miles Sanders still working back.

Makes a couple guys miss here on a big run. pic.twitter.com/5X0IUNJzsF
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) August 12, 2025

Vaughn is going to need to stockpile those kind of plays if he hopes to make the final 53-man roster. Right now, he's looking like a longshot, but never say never when it comes to Vaughn.

We'll have to see what he does with his opportunities this weekend when the Cowboys host the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium in Week 2 of the preseason on Saturday night.