Dallas, TX
Cowboys could go cheap when addressing running back in 2024
The days of the Dallas Cowboys drafting a running back in the first round have seemingly ended. The last back to be taken at the top of their own draft was Ezekiel Elliott, who was selected fourth overall in 2016.
Elliott’s impact on the franchise was immediate and everlasting. He burst onto the scene with over 1,600 yards rushing, 15 touchdowns, and a first-team All-Pro nomination. After eclipsing over 1,000 yards in two of the next three seasons, Elliott’s production started to decline in 2020.
Since Mike McCarthy took over as head coach, Elliott crossed 1,000 yards just once in 2021 with 1,002. The six-year, $90 million contract extension in 2019 started to outweigh the production on the field, which is why the front office parted ways with the former face of the franchise in the 2023 offseason.
Despite being an outstanding teammate and being beloved by fans, Elliott’s price tag got too heavy. A big reason why the front office was confident in letting their star running back go was because Tony Pollard was in a position to take over the lead role on the franchise tag.
Even after his ankle injury, the Cowboys were confident Pollard could return to his explosive self and be the catalyst to McCarthy’s run-heavy approach. Unfortunately, Pollard never returned to the player he once was, averaging just four yards a carry—the lowest of his career.
Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News says the combined salary of the running backs currently on the roster (Deuce Vaughn, Malik Davis, Snoop Connor, and Hunter Leupke) will cost significantly less in 2024 than what Elliott’s cap hit is for not being on the team.
At $6.04 million, Elliott stands to count more against the Cowboys’ 2024 cap while not on the roster than any running back who actually occupies it. That final burden aside, the franchise has achieved financial freedom.
All running backs under contract count less than $1 million toward the salary cap. Their salaries, worth the league minimum, are not guaranteed. Hypothetically, should any of the four fail to make the 53-man roster out of camp, the team can part with negligible cap penalty.
This clearing begs for a more cost-conservative approach to the position, reliant on selecting at least one running back in the April draft. A new age is here, one in which the Cowboys are not simultaneously throwing top dollar at their quarterback and running back positions.
The Cowboys must soon decide whether to re-sign Pollard and Rico Dowdle. Both are scheduled to become free agents March 13. While Dallas could be amenable for a reunion at the right price, this is clearly a new day for the future at the running back position, one in which, at least for the next few years, high-priced contracts are reserved for other positions on the roster.
As Gehlken points out, both Pollard and Rico Dowdle are scheduled to be free agents in March. They could welcome either or both players back, but it all depends on the price. Either Dowdle or Pollard could compete for the starting role if they return. The Cowboys drafted Vaughn in the sixth round last year but could be inclined to draft one of the top backs in the second or third round this year if someone falls to them.
Regardless of which direction Dallas takes, they will likely follow the trend of other teams in the league who aim to maximize value by spending less money on running backs. This is especially true since the team may want to focus on extending their All-Pro players in premium positions such as Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons.
With the official NFL schedule coming this week, the Dallas Cowboys have revealed when, where and against who their Week 1 contest will be.
The Cowboys announced that they will square off against the New York Giants on the road in Week 1, with the game set for Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7:20 p.m. CT. So, it’s prime time for the Cowboys to start the season.
This is the second game we know about for the Cowboys this year. Of course, we know they will be playing on Thanksgiving, also.
The official schedule will drop on May 14, the NFL announced last week. Schedules for all 32 teams will be revealed on ESPN and the NFL Network, but each team will unveil its own schedule on social media, also.
The Cowboys were always likely to play a road game in Week 1 because of an Usher and Chris Brown concert taking place at AT&T Stadium that week.
Dallas will also be impacted by an Ed Sheeran concert in Week 7, so that’s another potential road game. They could also play on Monday or Thursday that week, or have a bye.
Cowboys’ strength of schedule
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Cowboys are not going to have an easy road to make the postseason.
The Cowboys have the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL going into the 2026 season, with only the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers having tougher slates.
Dallas’ schedule is also the third-toughest in the NFC, and the most difficult in the NFC East.
Sharp does his strength of schedule rankings based on win totals from Vegas oddsmakers rather than utilizing the previous season’s records because that metric doesn’t factor in offseason changes.
The Cowboys will play home games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
On the road, Dallas will square off against the Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.
Of those opponents, seven of them made the postseason in 2025, a list that includes the Jaguars, 49ers, Eagles, Texans, Rams, Seahawks and Packers.
All of those teams should be as good in 2026, and teams like the Colts, Titans, Ravens, Bucs, Giants and Commanders have a very real chance to be improved as well.
It won’t be an easy road for Dallas to get back to the playoffs in 2026, but there’s at least hope following a defensive overhaul.
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Dallas weather: May 10 morning forecast
Today is by far our most active day of the extended forecast. After our Red River Counties got some severe storms overnight, we expect a mostly quiet morning. Isolated storms are expected to start forming just after noon. The severe threat begins mid-afternoon in a more scattered fashion, before a cold front ushers in widespread rain and strong storms this evening.
DALLAS – A powerful cold front sweeping across North and Central Texas on Monday is expected to trigger a wave of severe thunderstorms capable of producing large hail, dangerous winds, and isolated flash flooding.
Severe weather in North Texas
Timeline:
The National Weather Service in Fort Worth warned that while showers and storms will begin developing Monday morning, the risk of severe weather will peak during the afternoon and evening hours as the front advances southward.
We are tracking two distinct phases of the storm system. Initial storms are expected to be “discrete,” or individual cells, which carry a high risk of large hail exceeding 2 inches in diameter. As the evening progresses, these individual storms are forecast to merge into a large cluster or broken line.
Once the storms consolidate, the primary threat will shift toward damaging straight-line winds. Forecasters warned that wind gusts could exceed 70 to 75 mph, speeds capable of downing trees, damaging roofs, and causing power outages.
In addition to the wind and hail threats, the system is expected to dump significant amounts of water. While most areas will see standard rainfall, there is a 10% to 15% chance that some locations could receive up to 4 inches of rain. Isolated flash flooding can happen over these locations.
Live Radar
We are watching how morning activity near the Red River might influence the speed of the cold front. The exact position of that front will be the primary factor in determining where the most intense storms initiate.
Residents are encouraged to monitor local forecasts and have multiple ways to receive weather warnings throughout the evening.
The front is expected to push through the region by Tuesday morning.
7-Day Forecast
The Source: Information in this article is from the National Weather Service and the FOX 4 Weather team.
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