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.

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.