The Dallas Cowboys‘ running back room starts, of course, with Javonte Williams, the bruising steamroller of a back who notched 1,201 yards on the ground last year, a career high that earned him a $24 million contract in free agency this offseason. After Williams, though, there are questions.
The Cowboys have two second-year guys, Jaydon Blue (a fifth-round pick) and Phil Mafah (a seventh-rounder), behind Williams. But neither played much last year, as Blue struggled with his attitude and work ethic, and Mafah struggled with a shoulder injury. There’s veteran safety blanker Malik Davis, too, a former undrafted back the Cowboys have kept around for five years now, but who is an emergency option when it comes to getting regular carries.
Depending on your viewpoint, the Cowboys are either genuinely excited about Blue having had a change of approach this spring, bringing with him a much more professional approach, or the coaching staff is simply trying to speak a better Jaydon Blue into existence. But there’s an insurance policy out there the Cowboys could bring in for depth and competition: former NFL touchdown king Austin Ekeler.
Austin Ekeler Gives Cowboys ‘Best of Everything’
That suggestion comes via the Blogging the Boys site, which points out that Ekeler is coming off an Achilles tendon repair that limited him to two games last season in Washington. He is a free agent and wants to keep playing even at age 31, though he has no expectations of being a starter.
Writes BtB: “Austin Ekeler, who suffered an Achilles tear last season with the Washington Commanders, is healthy and intends to play this season. Ekeler is a very good pass catcher out of the backfield and still a solid runner between the tackles. At this stage, Ekeler has made it clear that he isn’t looking to be a starting running back and is perfectly fine with being part of an ensemble. … Ekeler gives the best of everything for the Cowboys, like his experience, versatility, and his asking price would surely be affordable.”
Austin Ekeler Has Twice Led NFL in TDs
Indeed, Ekeler’s resume is impressive. He has never had a 1,000-yard rushing season, but that is, in part, because he is such a good receiver out of the backfield. Ekeler has had three seasons in which he topped 1,500 yards from scrimmage, and he has twice led the NFL in total touchdowns from scrimmage, in 2021 (20) and 2022 (18).
Even if he does not win a prominent job coming out of training camp, he could be worth keeping on the roster to both challenge and mentor Blue.
Cowboys Hopeful on Jaydon Blue
The Cowboys do want Blue to win the RB2 job. With due respect to Mafah, whose style is more similar to that of Williams, Blue is a smaller, faster back with big-play capability and Brian Schottenheimer seems to be trying to lay the groundwork for him to be RB2.
Said Schottenheimer of Blue: “I think he has come back with a different look on his face, I think he is practicing better. I do think that, as he continues to grow, he has got to understand and realize that, until he is the bell cow, there’s going to be other roles he is going to have to fill, whether it is coming out of the backfield to catch the football, special teams, but I love the idea of a change-of-pace back to go with Javonte, who is just an absolute pounder, bruiser, a guy that’s gonna score 12, 13 touchdowns every year for us.
“Jaydon is a huge part of what we’re trying to do but he has got to do his part, and I think he is doing his part. That’s got to continue.”
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