Nick Chubb signs with Texans, Cowboys stay quiet

Nick Chubb’s name would have incentivized clicks. It would've solidified hope. It may have even made sense on the surface — a "big-name'' ball-carrier ... though he is coming off of consecutive devastating injuries. 

But in Dallas, the problem hasn’t just been who runs the ball. It's "how.''

And we think that's what Cowboys fans upset about Chubb jumping from the Browns to the Texans are forgetting.

That part too often gets lost in the noise. Since the end of the Ezekiel Elliott prime years, the Cowboys’ run game has lacked rhythm, creativity, and identity. 

A number - 3.2 yards per carry in their last three postseason losses - should speak loudly. It wasn’t just about Tony Pollard’s ability or Ezekiel Elliott's post-prime limitations; it was about a lack of physicality and nuance. 

We said it back on May 12 when discussing KaVontae Turpin's usage as a ball-carrier in 2024: the running back position is the dependent variable. 

What determines run-game success in today’s NFL isn’t just who’s carrying the ball — it’s how you dictate box counts, how dominant you can be pushing people around, and how nuanced you are in disguising intentions.

Simply switching where Turpin lined up pre-snap changed everything about his production because It more closely replicated what he's used to seeing as a return man. Don't put him in motion and have him moving laterally as he's receiving the football, put him in the backfield and let him find the hole with all of his gamebreaking speed getting north and south.