The Dallas Cowboys could use an upgrade at the running back position.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine wrote that Dallas should consider acquiring Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce for a sixth-round selection in next year’s draft.
The argument is simple: An aging Ezekiel Elliott projects as the team’s top running back while Pierce would have to climb his way up the depth chart following the offseason acquisition of former Pro Bowl back Joe Mixon and veteran Cam Akers.
“The Texans don’t seem to have Pierce in the plans after trading for Joe Mixon, signing Cam Akers and drafting Jawhar Jordan in the sixth round,” Ballentine in a July 26 story on “1 trade each NFL team should consider” before the 2024 season. “The Cowboys could make a low-risk move by giving up a Day 3 pick to give him a shot at winning a role in camp.”
Cowboys Lacking Clear-Cut Starting Running Back
The Cowboys failed to address their key need at running back following the departure of former Pro Bowl back Tony Pollard. Dallas instead signed veterans Elliott — he averaged just 3.5 yards per carry last season — and Royce Freeman, who has started just one game since the start of the 2019 season. Freeman also hasn’t carried the ball more than 73 times in a single season since his rookie campaign back in 2018.
Dallas also went through the entire 2024 NFL draft without adding a running back and will instead return their trio of backup runners from last season: Deuce Vaughn, Malik Davis and Rico Dowdle.
Pierce could be everything the Cowboys are looking for — young, injury-free and cheap.
Why Dameon Pierce Is Answer to Cowboys’ Running Back Problem
The 24-year-old Pierce was a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, which means his salary isn’t very high. The third-year running back is due to earn under a $1 million in base salary this season and $1.1 million next season in salary as part of his rookie deal.
While Pierce obviously struggle drastically in his sophomore campaign last season — he averaged 2.9 yards per carry, the lowest yards per carry average of the NFL’s top 50 rushers — he showed promise during his rookie season, posting 939 rushing yards and 4.3 yards per carry as the Texans’ lead back. If not for an ankle injury in Week 13 that ended his season prematurely, Pierce would have ended his rookie season with 1,000 rushing yards.
Pierce also had a solid collegiate career with the Florida Gators, rushing for 13 touchdowns during his senior season in 2021.
The Cowboys do not have a concrete plan of who will start at running back. Head coach Mike McCarthy previously indicated back in May that Dallas would utilize a running back-by-committee approach but was optimistic about Elliott.
“[I] think he’ll definitely play at the level that he’s played at in my time here [since 2020],” McCarthy said. “I don’t see any drop-off in the way he moves. He’s in good shape. … He has come in here and picked up right where he left off.”
Dallas could save themselves a major headache by acquiring Pierce and solving their running back conundrum. The Cowboys already have enough issues to worry about following Sam Williams‘ season-ending ACL injury and the contract issues of stars Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.
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Cowboys Trade Pitch Lands Them Former 13-TD Running Back