The Dallas Cowboys have the league’s eighth-worst running attack, averaging just 85 yards per game. It is simple to point to the running back room’s lack of talent as the reason for the bad performance. Ezekiel Elliott is the only NFL rushing back with at least 10 attempts who has not broken a single tackle, averaging only 3.5 yards per rush. Rico Dowdle isn’t much better at 3.7 per attempt, while Deuce Vaughn, who is supposed to be the explosive back in the room, is only averaging three yards per carry.
The rushing back room hasn’t been terrific, but a deeper look reveals that few rushers would flourish in this offense.
In Week 1, the Cowboys faced the best defense in 2023 at home, a healthy Cleveland Browns club. In Week 2, the Saints scored 21 points on their first 12 plays, and Dallas was so far down the scoreboard that they couldn’t run the ball. The squad did not play games conducive to running the ball well in the first two weeks, and now faces the Baltimore Ravens, who have the best run defense through two weeks.
Saquon Barkley would be limited in these instances; there is no running back concern in these games.
Dallas’ offensive line hasn’t helped matters this season, and Travis Frederick isn’t walking through the locker room door. Their first-round offensive tackle, Tyler Guyton, ranks 62nd in run blocking. The NFL has 64 starting tackles, meaning Guyton is nearly the worst starter. Cooper Beebe, a fellow rookie, is ranked 22nd among centers, in the bottom third of the position. Tyler Smith and Zack Martin, their two All-Pro offensive guards, are shockingly terrible, ranking 32nd and 37th respectively. Terence Steele is the only guy doing well on the offensive line, ranking ninth as a run blocker. Even when the line performs well, the run game is only effective if all players block, and Dallas’ receivers have also failed to deliver. Brandin Cooks is the tenth-worst run blocker at his position, while Jalen Tolbert is the fifth worst.
Dallas’ running back position isn’t ideal, but concerns about the team’s inefficient rushing assault should not be directed toward improving that position just yet. Trading draft capital for a running back just to have him stuck in awful situations with lousy blocking will not improve anything, and that is before we even get into play-calling. The Cowboys must demonstrate that they can prepare the running back for success before looking for superior backs to take advantage of it.
