Getty Former Dallas Cowboys running back Tony Pollard
The Dallas Cowboys have yet to add an RB after the departure of Tony Pollard, but they are being linked to a versatile talent. While Rico Dowdle has re-signed with the team, the Cowboys are still lacking at the position heading into the NFL draft.
Correspondingly, Blogging the Boys’ Matthew Holleran is projecting Dallas to add Tyrone Tracy in the fourth round of this year’s draft.
“The 24-year-old is one of the older prospects in the draft, but he possesses some very intriguing traits. The former Boilermaker had the fourth-highest athleticism score (via NFL.com) of any running back in the draft. Tracy started his career at Purdue playing wide receiver and only played running back during his last two seasons,” Holleran wrote on April 15.
Tracy is a unique prospect due to his age and lack of experience at the RB position. However, he is clearly an NFL-quality athlete and there is plenty of reason to think he could make the step up.
From the Cowboys’ perspective, Tracy could come in and compete with Dowdle for reps. That’s not a duo with a lot of experience, but Dallas would have 2 RBs with distinct differences.
What to Know About Tyrone Tracy
With six seasons of college ball under his belt, Tracy is entering the NFL a good bit older than your average prospect. He played four years at Iowa before but wasn’t much of a factor as a wide receiver.
After the 2021 season, Tracy transferred from Iowa to Purdue. However, he didn’t immediately take off with the Boilermakers. Tracy totaled just 336 yards from scrimmage and scored zero touchdowns in 2022 according to Sports Reference.
Things changed for Tracy once he committed to playing as an RB. In 2023, Tracy totaled 848 yards from scrimmage and scored 8 TDs. Those numbers aren’t otherworldly, but they clearly showed that he is effective as an RB.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein broke down Tracy in a draft profile and is optimistic about his chances to transition to the NFL.
“While he’s still honing his skills as a runner, his ability to handle gadget runs and threaten linebackers out of the backfield could get him on the field early on,” Zierlein wrote. “Tracy will be an older rookie, but his versatility and burgeoning talent as a complementary runner should open evaluators’ eyes to what he could become as a pro.”
Cowboys Could Draft QB
The Cowboys will roll into the 2024 season with Dak Prescott, but his future beyond that is murky. Dallas does have a young, developing QB in Trey Lance, but ESPN reporter Adam Schefter believes they could still add a QB in the 2024 NFL draft.
“What are they going to do at quarterback, if they lose Dak?” Schefter said on NFL Live on April 9. “That’s interesting. And, that’s why I think the Dallas Cowboys just might be a sleeper team in the quarterback market in the NFL Draft.”
Schefter goes on to explain that the Cowboys need to develop Prescott’s successor and mentions that Prescott himself was a fourth-round pick. Whether or not Dallas moves on from Prescott, it’s important to prepare for either outcome.