Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle had a breakout season in 2024 after signing one-year deals with the team for the past two years.
After signing WR CeeDee Lamb and QB Dak Prescott to mega-extensions last offseason, the Cowboys only went after cost-effective options at running back which led to Dowdle’s breakout. He’s due for a raise this offseason which will require a philosophy change from Dallas to retain him.
Jon Machota of The Athletic said the Cowboys still have “legitimate interest in re-signing Rico Dowdle” but the idea is to pair him with a draft pick.
In terms of a draft pick, there has been plenty of buzz for Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty but Machota thinks “targeting one in the second or third round seems like a better bet than Jeanty at No. 12.”
Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer outlined what he’s looking for in a running back, mentioning contact balance, receiving ability and explosiveness in the open field.
“You want a guy that has contact balance. The fronts that we’re seeing, the fronts that we’re facing, require guys to be able to make hidden yards, whether there’s a free safety in the hole or there’s a linebacker or defensive lineman coming off of the point of attack, you’ve got to have a guy that’s willing to run through arm tackles.”
“I do believe that you have to have the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Why do I say that? If a team wants to commit to stopping the run, there’s ways that they can try to do that, and we don’t want that to take an elite runner, or a position like that, out of the game. If a team is doing a nice job stopping the running game, you want to be able to get him involved throwing it to him. That doesn’t mean they have to play like a receiver, but they have to be able to run routes coming out of the backfield, have the ability to separate, run after catches is important.”
Dowdle, 26, went undrafted out of South Carolina in 2020 before catching on with the Cowboys and making the 53-man roster. He missed the entire 2021 season after being placed on injured reserve due to a hip injury.
The Cowboys re-signed Dowdle to a one-year contract for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
In 2024, Dowdle appeared in 16 games for the Cowboys and rushed for 1,079 yards on 235 carries to go along with 39 receptions for 249 yards receiving and five touchdowns.
