FRISCO, Texas — One of many NFL’s extra high-profile positions will probably be up for grabs this preseason: the Dallas Cowboys‘ beginning operating again function.
Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer Tony Dorsett dominated the Seventies and Eighties (1977-1987) in Dallas earlier than Emmitt Smith took the reins in 1990 and went on to be the NFL’s all-time chief in speeding yards and speeding yards touchdowns by the point his Cowboys profession resulted in 2002.
Three-time Professional Bowl operating again Ezekiel Elliott burst onto the scene within the function in 2016, main the NFL in speeding yards (1,631) and carries (322) to earn first-team All-Professional honors as a rookie. He led the league in those self same two metrics in 2018 as properly with 1,434 yards speeding on 304 carries a pair years later.
After Professional Bowler Tony Pollard held down the beginning job in 2023 as soon as Dallas moved on from Elliott, Dallas’ run recreation struggled to seek out its footing for a lot of the 2024 season after Pollard left to change into a Tennessee Titan. Elliott’s Cowboys homecoming did not enhance the Dallas run recreation, because the crew averaged the second-fewest speeding yards per recreation (81.7) by way of the primary 11 weeks of the season with its operating back-by-committee strategy.
As soon as then-head coach Mike McCarthy put the undrafted Rico Dowdle in because the Cowboys’ lead again, he thrived: his 677 yards speeding from Weeks 12-18 in 2024 had been the fourth-most within the NFL, trailing solely Saquon Barkley (868), Jonathan Taylor (758) and Derrick Henry (736) in that span. Dowdle completed the 12 months with a career-high 1,079 yards speeding, which made him the primary undrafted operating again to interrupt 1,000 yards in a season in Cowboys historical past.
Normal supervisor Jerry Jones opted to let the 27-year-old Dowdle stroll in free company as he signed a one-year take care of the Carolina Panthers. Jones, for now, has crammed the operating again depth chart for brand spanking new head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s first season in cost with Javonte Williams (signed a one-year, $3 million deal after 4 seasons with the Denver Broncos), Miles Sanders (signed a one-year, $1.34 million contract after the worst 12 months of his profession with the Carolina Panthers in 2024), rookie Jaydon Blue (a 2025 fifth-round choose) and rookie Phil Mafah (a 2025 seventh-round choose).
“The unusual factor concerning the operating again place is you actually do not discover out about them till you get out to Oxnard,” Schottenheimer stated on the third and closing day of the 2025 NFL Draft. … “Operating round on the market in shorts is just a little bit completely different than operating by way of a 330-pound defensive linemen who’re preserving their arms out and linebackers filling holes and linebackers are blitzing by way of the A niche and issues like that. However I’ll say this, we really feel like by way of this offseason, we have constructed an extremely sturdy operating again room.”
CBS Sports activities adopted up with Schottenheimer and requested the place issues stand in Dallas’ operating again room on the final day of necessary minicamp on June 12, so here is a have a look at the pecking order forward of one of many Cowboys’ largest coaching camp battles this summer time earlier than gamers report on July 21.
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Garrett Podell
Veterans
The primary operating again Schottenheimer talked about was Williams, a 2021 second-round choose by the Broncos.
He received off to a promising begin as a rookie earlier than getting sidetracked in 2022 by tearing his ACL and MCL. That sapped the explosiveness he was recognized for in school at North Carolina and as a rookie in Denver. Williams’ 4.4 yards per contact throughout the final 4 seasons is the third-fewest within the NFL (minimal 750 touches) and forward of solely Elliott’s 4.1 yards per contact and Najee Harris‘ 4.3 yards per contact in that span.
He was the Broncos’ main rusher in 2024 with 513 yards and 4 speeding touchdowns on 139 carries (3.7 yards per carry), but it surely wasn’t individually a noteworthy season for a Denver squad that reached the playoffs for the primary time since successful Tremendous Bowl 50 within the 2015 season.
Nevertheless, almost three years faraway from his knee harm, Williams has grabbed Schottenheimer’s consideration after a powerful offseason program and enters coaching camp because the preliminary RB1.
“I am going to begin with Javonte. I can not say sufficient nice issues about him: the way in which he practices, the way in which he approaches follow,” Schottenheimer stated on June 12. “You guys know I like the phrase ‘the intentionality.’ I feel that is for a youthful participant. A pair years in, he is figured it out. I do not know, I by no means requested him, I ought to ask him ‘who did you study from?’ as a result of any individual taught him easy methods to follow. He is superior with that. … You’re feeling the veteran facet of each of these guys [Williams and Sanders] like they’re veterans. They know easy methods to work, they know easy methods to put together.”
Williams’ capability to select up the nuances of Schottenheimer’s offense rapidly, particularly in cross safety, has the first-year head coach particularly fired up.
“It is humorous,” Schottenheimer stated June 12. “I used to be speaking, I used to be calling a play to Dak, and I used to be telling [him] to remind Javonte (about one thing). I stated, ‘Hey remind Javonte,’ and [Prescott] sort of checked out me and stated, ‘He is a valedictorian.’ Javonte appeared again and smiled.”
Sanders was the second operating again Schottenheimer talked about.
“Miles has been nice as properly,” Schottenheimer stated June 12.
The 28-year-old broke out for career-highs in carries (259), yards speeding (1,269) and speeding touchdowns (11) through the Philadelphia Eagles‘ 2022 NFC championship-winning season, but it surely’s been a wrestle for Sanders since leaving Philadelphia.
He signed a four-year, $25.4 million contract with the Panthers in 2023 however was launched from the deal after struggling to catch on with former No. 1 choose Bryce Young going by way of rising pains in his transition to the NFL. Sanders produced simply 637 yards speeding and 4 touchdowns on 104 carries in 27 video games performed the final two seasons.
Nevertheless, he stood out early in Dallas’ offseason program, particularly by making massive performs within the passing recreation out of the backfield, hauling in a number of, deep contested catches down the suitable sideline in just a few organized crew actions (OTAs) and minicamp practices.
“I do not know why anybody can be shocked by Miles’ capability,” Schottenheimer stated follow on June 3. “Having been within the division and taking part in in opposition to Miles when he was in Philadelphia, you speak about a man that is a home-run risk, a man that is received unbelievable capability to harm you operating, catching out of the backfield, all that stuff. Very good, very vibrant. All the backs have been that approach.”
Rookies
It’s totally clear Blue and Mafah might want to stand out in a giant approach in coaching camp with the intention to be part of Schottenheimer’s operating again rotation in 2025. All through the offseason, he indicated there is a noticeable studying curve his rookie rushers have to beat to get common work with the first-team offense.
“There’s one thing to those veteran gamers (Williams and Sanders) that does assist, and so they’ve been nice as a result of they have been serving to Jaydon and Phil,” Schottenheimer stated June 12. “These two younger guys have lots to study in a great way.
“They’re used to, most school guys are, they get to the road of scrimmage actually quick, and so they look over and so they search for what, indicators. There are guys holding up boards and indicators and indicators and issues like that. Now, they’re in a huddle and doing issues like that. So plenty of it’s you bought to discover ways to break down these prolonged calls. Like ‘OK, what issues to me and what would not?’ I feel these guys have been nice.”
Blue is the extra doubtless of the 2 to issue into the Cowboys’ plans in 2025 regardless of his stature and the aforementioned adjustment to an NFL playbook. He is 5-foot-9 and weighs 196 kilos on the NFL Scouting Mix, barely undersized for an NFL operating again, however his pace is plain.
Blue’s 4.38-second 40-yard sprint ranked because the second-fastest amongst operating backs on the mix — pace that helped him co-lead collegiate operating backs with six receiving touchdowns in 2024. Upon being drafted, he compared himself to Detroit Lions Professional Bowl operating again Jahmyr Gibbs. Jones described Cowboys vice chairman of participant personnel Will McClay as “hollering” for Dallas to draft Blue so as to add extra juice to the crew’s floor recreation.
“On the finish of the day, the NFL, you are in search of explosive playmakers. He is an explosive playmaker,” McClay stated of Blue following the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Draft. “You set him within the backfield behind what we constructed within the line and the opposite guys, it provides you a chance to be explosive. I do know Coach Schottenheimer has received some methods up his sleeves to make use of the skillset that he has within the different guys, however [Blue is] an explosive participant that may flip the sector for you and also can win you some matchups in man-to-man protection versus linebackers. … It is only a completely different pace that he performs with.”