Cowboys’ New Roster Move Will Likely End Young RB’s Season

Getty Dallas Cowboys running back Deuce Vaughn

The Dallas Cowboys are making changes to the 53-man roster as they prepare for their final regular season game of the season. The final game against the Washington Commanders is an all-important one, but they will be without running back Deuce Vaughn.

Vaughn, a rookie selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft, made minimal impact. Now, he is being put on injured reserve and will be sidelined until, at best, the Super Bowl.

“The @dallascowboys activated DL Viliami Fehoko from Reserve/Injured on Wednesday,” the team’s official PR account wrote on X. “The club also placed RB Deuce Vaughn on Reserve/Injured.”

Cowboys.com writer Patrik Walker then clarified Vaughn’s window in a follow-up tweet.

“The two swap roster spots and Vaughn is out a minimum of four weeks, meaning he wouldn’t be available again until/unless Super Bowl,” Walker wrote on January 3.

Essentially, the Cowboys would have to make the Super Bowl just to potentially have Vaughn available. Even then, it’s possible they wouldn’t activate him given that Dallas used him sparingly this year. Meanwhile, Fehoko, a fourth-round pick out of San Jose State, is a rookie still looking for his first appearance in an NFL regular season.

Vaughn’s First NFL Season

There was a lot to like about Vaughn coming into the 2023 season. Besides the feel-good story about playing for his dad and Cowboys scout Chris Vaughn, Vaughn was a star at Kansas State who totaled 2,962 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns over his final two seasons in Manhattan, Kansas.

But collegiate accomplishments did not immediately translate to NFL success. Vaughn took 23 handoffs for just 40 yards, a rushing success rate of 8.7%. For comparison, the rushing success rates of Dallas running backs Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle are both in the 40s.

That being said, he was a bit more useful as a receiver, making 7 catches on 7 targets for 40 yards.

It’s far from ideal, and there’s a reason why the Cowboys activated him only for seven games. It will be interesting to see if the team rolls with him in 2024 or releases him after a discouraging rookie season.

Could Cowboys Pursue Dalvin Cook?

While the team is putting Vaughn on the shelf, the New York Jets made waves by releasing Dalvin Cook on January 3. Cook is a four-time Pro Bowler who found it difficult to make the move from the Minnesota Vikings to the Jets.

Dallas has been speculated as a potential landing spot, but Cowboys.com writer Nick Harris said he didn’t think it would happen.

“Just my opinion…don’t think there is a fit for him in Dallas both schematically and roster-wise,” Harris posted January 2 on X. “Cowboys kicked the tires when he was released by the Vikings and didn’t pursue. I don’t expect anything different this time around, nor do I think they should do anything different.”

Cook appears to be a far different player from his dominant years with the Vikings, but maybe he just needs a change of scenery. Either way, Dallas has the opportunity to reinforce their RB room right before the playoffs.