Getty Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy takes the field before an NFL game.
The Dallas Cowboys have made significant changes to their running back room in 2023, and the roster group will continue changing as the season approaches. As for which players will remain come September, that’s what is unclear.
Dallas said goodbye to long-time star RB Ezekiel Elliott (although a reunion isn’t out of the question,) while adding in a couple of new faces like rookie Deuce Vaughn and veteran Ronald Jones II. With that said, the running back group is crowded and that’s prompting Blogging the Boys‘ Jess Haynie to wonder about Jones’ place.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers star joined the Cowboys earlier this year, but a competitive roster means he could be right back out.
“Clearly, the veteran Jones has competition. And if financial matters are taken into account, all four of [RB Malik Davis, RB Deuce Vaughn, RB Rico Dowdle and FB Hunter Luepke] are more attractive…Ronald Jones certainly could make this team, and may even be a favorite to do so this summer. But while we tend to pencil in free-agent signings when doing roster projections, Jones’ claim on a spot is tenuous at best. With money not an issue, and really almost working against him, Jones will have to be better than the rest to stick with the Cowboys in 2023,” Haynie wrote.
It’s hard to argue Haynie’s point, as the upside and potential of the Cowboys’ younger RBs are something worth investing in.
Jones Begins Career with Buccaneers
After impressing with USC, Jones first entered the NFL with Tampa Bay in 2018. The Buccaneers drafted him in the second round of that year’s draft but he didn’t set the NFL on fire right away.
As a rookie, Jones failed to earn the starting role and actually only appeared in nine games. However, some extra time in development and away from pressure ended up paying dividends.
Over the 2019, 2020, and 2021 seasons, Jones became a major part of the Buccaneers’ offense. He totaled 2130 rushing yards and scored 18 total touchdowns over 46 regular season games according to Pro Football Reference.
His strongest campaign in 2020 was a driving force of the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl run, although he was the second fiddle to Leonard Fournette during Tampa Bay’s three playoff games last year.
His latest season with the Kansas City Chiefs was a wash due to him falling down the depth chart, but he did earn his second Super Bowl ring in five NFL seasons.
Cowboys RB Tony Pollard Facing Critical Opportunity in 2023
While Jones will be competing with Vaughn and others, expected starting RB Tony Pollard has an all-important season coming up. The 26-year-old is playing on the franchise tag, meaning he’ll receive over $10 million in 2023, by far the biggest salary year of his career.
The Athletic’s Jon Machota pointed out that Pollard would be in a far different situation if he played a different position. Running backs are currently an undervalued position, meaning that Pollard has more pressure to parlay this season into another big salary.
“He’s going to be given every opportunity to have a career-year in 2023,” Machota explained in a June 23 article. “If Pollard, 26, played another position, he might be in line for the type of deal that averaged $12 million to $15 million for the next four or five years. But at running back, there’s a chance that this year is the most Pollard will make during a single season in his career.”
Pollard is coming off his first Pro Bowl nod in 2022 but ended the season with a major foot injury. It now becomes a race against the clock to recover and make the most of the upcoming season.