Report: Broncos Hold Workout with Former Cowboys RB

Vaughn, 23, entered the NFL in 2023 as a sixth-round pick of the Cowboys. He made 14 regular-season appearances during his stint in Big D, recording 168 scoreless yards from scrimmage on 50 total touches (40 rushes, 10 receptions). The Cowboys waived him last week amid final roster cuts.

The diminutive 5-foot-6, 176-pound back was an accomplished collegian at Kansas State, earning the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year award in 2020 and first-team All-Big 12 and consensus All-American honors in 2022.

"Vaughn’s playing style is similar to that of former NFL running back Jacquizz Rodgers, but Rodgers was much heavier than Vaughn at a similar height," reads his NFL Media scouting profile. "Despite the versatility, production and durability, teams might focus on his lack of size. However, he sees the field clearly, is fearless between the tackles, possesses quality contact balance and finds his way into the end zone as a runner and receiver. Vaughn has an uphill climb ahead of him, but his history of consistent, high-end production makes the climb to success seem achievable."

The Broncos kept four RBs (JK Dobbins, RJ Harvey, Tyler Badie, Jaleel McLaughlin) on their initial 53-man roster, with Dobbins listed as the starter on the unofficial Week 1 depth chart.

Curiously, after waiving Audric Estime and Blake Watson, the club remains without a running back on its 16-player practice squad.

"Rather than focusing on the ‘All right, these are the slots,’ we look more at the quality of the player," head coach Sean Payton explained on Aug. 28. "If [FB Adam] Prentice needs to take some halfback snaps for the scout team, we’ll manage that. It was more about let’s make sure that group of 16 are guys that we feel strongly about developmentally, or strongly about coming in and playing as opposed to just filling the quota at each position. So wherever we’re short one, we’re probably one heavy. We’re a little bit more linebacker than we’ve ever been. When you look at active and practice squad, we’re a little bit more I think in the defensive line, and then we’re one light in a couple spots. If this league went from 53 to 20, you’d still have coaches saying, ‘Well, I need six.’ It’s never enough. So it was more about let’s get the best players.”