FRISCO — The Dallas Cowboys undoubtedly took too long to make improvements to their offensive backfield last season. The team put an unproven Rico Dowdle and an elderly Ezekiel Elliott back at the top of the depth chart after Tony Pollard left in free agency.

The fact that the Cowboys’ rushing offense was far from a strength is now in the past, as Zeke is still unsigned and Rico went on to produce strong numbers on his own before leaving for Carolina.

However, all of it resulted in a total makeover during the off-season. Was there a greater sense of urgency this time? Before selecting Phil Mafah and Jaydon Blue in the April draft, Dallas acquired Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams in free agency. Those moves should provide them with a deep enough pool to build their backfield and find a reliable No. 1 player.

Daniel Arwas of Heavy.com has encouraged the Cowboys to look into a trade for another young running back in case they are still looking for possibilities. He determined that Blake Corum, a running back for the Los Angeles Rams, was the best candidate.

In 2024, Williams and Sanders combined for less than 800 yards, despite the fact that both players are well-known, made their respective All-Rookie teams, and Sanders was a Pro Bowler in 2022, according to Arwas. “And in Williams’ case, that was as the team’s official starter.”

Unfortunately for the two, running back is a sport best left to young men, and Corum is undoubtedly still young. There is no assurance that Blue and Mafah will overtake the veterans at training camp because they were not highly regarded prospects when they graduated from college. Sanders and Williams both have some questions to answer in order to prove they are worthy of starting in the Cowboys’ backfield, as Arwas points out.

 

Does all of that, however, imply that Dallas has to bring in another player? Even though Corum isn’t used much in Los Angeles, the Rams could use him at any moment due to an injury. That bleak option cannot be ruled out given Kyren Williams’ usage rate. The Rams’ willingness to give up their own backfield depth and the Cowboys’ decision to add another rival at the same time is a difficult ask. Both the coaching staff and the front office will have failed if they are unable to find a reliable starter and make good use of their backs within this plan.

At least two of these players are currently thought to be competent and reliable every week. in the very least, the Cowboys should wait to add any more components until they have a better idea of how much they have in training camp.