Dallas, TX
Why Rico Dowdle’s recent performance may be pricing him out of a return to Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2024 season with plenty of uncertainty at the running back position. After losing long-time playmaker Tony Pollard in free agency, the Cowboys needed to find someone to fill the void he left in their offense.
Trying to pick up some of the slack left by Pollard’s departure, the Cowboys brought back veteran Ezekiel Elliott after a year away in New England. There was plenty of doubt about what Elliott had left in the tank entering his ninth season in the league. Elliott’s on-field display this season has proved the pre-season doubters correct as the veteran has averaged a dismal 3.2 Y/A.
It took the Cowboys more than half a season to realize what the rest of the league already knew about Elliott. Once they finally did and stopped giving him significant offensive snaps, it allowed them to unleash the clear best running back on their roster, 26-year-old Rico Dowdle.
In Dallas’ first six games of the season, despite him being the most talented running back on the team, the Cowboys gave Dowdle more than 11 carries in a game just one time. That one game came in Week 5 against Pittsburgh when Dowdle was pivotal to a Cowboys’ victory, carrying the ball 20 times for 87 yards and scoring one of their two offensive touchdowns.
After arguably the best performance of his career, Dallas once again decided to go away from Dowdle as the bell cow back for a few weeks. Finally, all the way in Week 12 against Washington, Mike McCarthy and Dallas’ offensive staff fully committed to Dowdle as their guy for the rest of the season. It’s a move that has looked great over the Cowboys’ past three games.
In those three contests, Dowdle has carried 59 times for 329 yards, averaging an extremely impressive 5.58 Y/A. During this three-game span, the 26-year-old is second in the league in rushing yards, yards after contact, and designated rushing attempts of more than 15 yards. He is also in the top five in first-down runs, missed tackles forced, and explosive runs.
Rico Dowdle looked really good NYG. Tied a career-high with 5 forced missed tackles and a career-high 4 10-plus-yard runs.
His vision, contact balance, tempo and patience were all on point throughout the game. #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/xkbE0RXaBO
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) November 29, 2024
It’s been made abundantly clear Dowdle is more than capable of being a lead back for a contending team, and it’s a shame it took Dallas more than half the season to come to this realization. Now that they have and Dowdle’s capability is on full display, he may be playing so well that he’s beginning to price himself out of a return to Dallas.
Dowdle is a free agent at season’s end, and his second-half of the season performance will likely earn him plenty of suitors in free agency. Last offseason four running backs, Tony Pollard, D’Andre Swift, Saquon Barkley, and Josh Jacobs all signed deals totaling $20M or more. While Dowdle is not on the level of those backs in terms of production and longevity, he is certainly showing his ability.
With the lack of talent in next year’s free agency running back class, Dowdle could possibly get something in the neighborhood of the deal Pollard signed with the Titans last spring for three years, $21M. Even if he ends up being offered a little less, it’s hard to see the Cowboys being willing to offer him $5-6M on a multi-year deal to bring him back to Dallas.
Rico Dowdle’s recent performance has been good for Dallas’ team success, but it may end up hurting their chances of retaining him in the future. The Cowboys waited too long to unleash Dowdle, and now they may just be showcasing his ability for his next team.
Dallas, TX
FOX’s Kasper Schmeichel compares England to Dallas Cowboys, so who are their other sports analogs?
Scottish World Cup fans reportedly drink Boston dry
Dana Perino announces that Scottish World Cup fans have caused an unprecedented beer shortage in Boston, emptying bars and liquor stores. Jesse Watters playfully observes that Europeans visiting America seem to “love it,” despite negative media portrayals, while Greg Gutfeld adds a satirical comment about “liberal mayors” and local resource management, contrasting Boston’s beer woes with LA’s water and Chicago’s Bears.
FOX Soccer analyst Kasper Schmeichel came prepared for this year’s World Cup on American soil.
The former Danish goalkeeper may not be from around these parts, but that didn’t stop him from dropping an eerily accurate comparison between two overconfident but long-suffering sports programs.
With England and Croatia warming up inside AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, Schmeichel decided he would roast two fanbases with one stone, comparing the Cowboys to the Three Lions with a hilarious one-liner.
Funny, but also painfully true if you’re a supporter of either team.
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I made a comparison last week between the English national team and Notre Dame, but Schmeichel got me thinking, who are the sports analogs to England from the four major North American leagues (NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA)?
Today, I will be doing exactly that, including giving a slightly better NFL comp than the Cowboys (shocking, I know).
Without further ado, let’s piss off our neighbors from across the pond.
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NFL – Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears helmets are displayed before the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nev., on Sept. 28, 2025. (Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images)
While the Dallas Cowboys are a fine comparison for the English national soccer team, I think I can do one better.
Schmeichel mentioned that England “won it once and have never stopped talking about it,” and although the second part of that statement applies to both, the Cowboys are five-time Super Bowl champions, having won it most recently in January 1996, a good three decades after England.
If you really want a team that more accurately mirrors the hard luck of the English, it would have to be the Chicago Bears.
3 HISTORIC NFL FRANCHISES FIND THEMSELVES IN SAME BOAT SINCE TURN OF THE CENTURY
They have one Super Bowl win to their name, which came 40 years ago, and really don’t have much else to show for it.
Also, having lived in the DFW area for the better part of a decade, I can confidently say Cowboys fans are a little too arrogant and cocky to be compared to the English.
Sure, England will say things like “it’s coming home,” but they are far more self-deprecating and aware of their faults, even nihilistic in some cases.
The Bears hang onto their history because they know things will inevitably go bad for them on the biggest stage.
Speaking of which…
NHL – Toronto Maple Leafs
Spencer Carbery, assistant coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, looks on from the bench during the third period against the Washington Capitals at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ont., on April 14, 2022. (Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)
The Toronto Maple Leafs actually line up with England more closely than either fanbase would like to admit.
While the Leafs have a litany of Stanley Cups to their name, their most recent win was back in 1967, less than a full year after England won their first and only World Cup.
As far as expectations go, both constantly go into their respective tournaments with the weight of the world on their shoulders, only to come crashing down in the most horrific ways imaginable.
For the Leafs, it comes in the form of blowing big leads in the playoffs, while English fans and players alike can’t even hear the words “penalty kicks” without having a mental breakdown.
England and Toronto are both long-suffering cities, but their fans keep showing up expecting a different outcome.
Insanity? No, just sports fandom.
NBA – New York Knicks
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks celebrates a three-point basket with Karl-Anthony Towns during Game Two of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas, on June 5, 2026. (Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)
This one would have been an even better comparison if the New York Knicks hadn’t gone and won the whole damn thing this year, but these two sports teams are still eerily similar.
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Think of the Knicks’ 2026 NBA Championship run as a window into what it would look like if England captured a World Cup (on American soil, no less).
Before this year, the Knicks famously had not won a Larry O’Brien trophy in over 50 years, yet they were still considered one of the “blue bloods” of the NBA.
Decades of heartache didn’t change that; it only made their fans more insufferable, but their triumph earlier this month in the NBA Finals exorcised all those demons.
THE ATHLETIC BEWILDERINGLY CELEBRATES ‘ZOHRAN MAMDANI SPORTS SUMMER’ AFTER NEW YORK KNICKS WIN NBA FINALS
A win in the World Cup Finals would probably do the same for England fans, as you could probably feel that sigh of relief from the other side of the Atlantic.
MLB – New York Mets
New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto reacts after scoring a run on an RBI double by infielder Bo Bichette against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif., on April 2, 2026. (Robert Edwards/Imagn Images)
Hello again, New York.
The Big Apple certainly has its fair share of winners, but it also has plenty of franchises that are aching to make a trip back down the Canyon of Heroes, none more so than the Mets.
Year after year, the Mets are near the top of MLB in terms of spending, with little to show for their efforts.
WATCH THE WORLD CUP FINAL ON FOX ONE
They won a World Series back in 1986 and have been chasing that high ever since.
The common thread between England and the Mets (along with all the other teams on this list) is expectations relative to results, and it seems like the Mets are sort of a Schrödinger’s baseball franchise in that regard, expected to both compete for a World Series with their high-priced talent and flame out in spectacular fashion all the same.
FOX ONE’S NEW WORLD CUP VIEWING EXPERIENCE
England always has flashy players heading into World Cup play, but the results haven’t been there, and they’ve often been sent home in brutal fashion, offering a great parallel to the Mets’ clockwork-like midsummer swoons and late-season meltdowns.
Dallas, TX
Dallas Police Seize Glock Switch in Deep Ellum
Guerrocastillo was taken into custody without incident and charged with Prohibited Weapon, a third-degree felony; Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon, a class A misdemeanor; Possession of Marijuana under two ounces, a class B misdemeanor; and Public Intoxication, a class C misdemeanor.
“Foot patrols are a foundational part of policing, and our Deep Ellum Task Force officers are making great arrests and providing increased security by walking a beat,” said Deputy Chief Devon Palk, who is commander of the Central Patrol Group. “Having our officers on foot, on horseback, and in our new Polaris utility vehicle puts officers exactly where we need them during peak hours in the area.”
Dallas, TX
Croatia fans rock cowboy style in Dallas parade ahead of match with England
Thousands of Croatia supporters turned downtown Dallas into a sea of red and white ahead of Croatia’s World Cup group-stage match against England. The parade featured cowgirls and groups in horse-drawn wagons and a 100-metre Croatian flag.
Published On 17 Jun 2026
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