Running back is a valued position once again

Making a case for drafting a RB in the first 3 rounds – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com

With Rico Dowdle set to be a free agent, Dallas may need to pick a running back.

FRISCO, Texas – In recent years, the running back position has been an interesting study. The NFL has seen a trend of offenses throwing the ball more, bringing into question how much valuable should be placed on a running back.

Recent history shows that investing early round draft capital can make a huge difference in your offense. In the last three Pro Bowls, 18 of the 21 running backs selected have been first or second round picks. If you expand that filter to the last six seasons, 32 of the 40 Pro Bowl running backs were picked in the first two rounds.

In this Sunday’s conference championship games, three of the four starting running backs playing were drafted in the first three rounds of their respective classes. Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles, the second overall pick in 2018, just became the ninth player in NFL history to surpass 2,000 single-season rushing yards in his seventh year in the league.

All that goes to show that there’s a lot of value in taking a running back early in the draft as opposed to waiting until the later rounds hoping to strike gold. The Cowboys are one of the teams that found a quality ball carrier in Rico Dowdle from the undrafted ranks, but he’s an unrestricted free agent now and the Cowboys didn’t take a running back in the 2024 NFL draft, so there’s isn’t much depth in the room even if Dowdle does return.

And so, it appears likely that the Cowboys will draft a running back in 2025, and the record shows they’d benefit from drafting one in the first three rounds.

Cowboys breakout star projected to sign with desperate AFC team – Koby Skillern, Sports Illustrated

If Dowdle does depart, here’s where he may end up.

The Dallas Cowboys find themselves at a crossroads once again, tasked with not only finding the right head coach but also retooling their roster to build a Super Bowl contender, following yet another failed campaign under head coach Mike McCarthy.

However, amid the uncertainty and the letdowns of this past season, there were some bright spots, notably with running back Rico Dowdle, who impressed by rushing for over 1,000 yards.

As the Cowboys turn their attention to the future, former All-Pro running back and former NFL rushing leader Maurice Jones-Drew has made an intriguing prediction in his breakdown of team fits for six running backs set to hit free agency in 2025.

Jones-Drew anticipates that Dowdle will sign with the Cleveland Browns, a move that could reshape their backfield.

Jones-Drew explained his rationale: “He’d be a great option in Kevin Stefanski’s offense, which needs a new bell-cow back for 2025, with Nick Chubb’s contract running out. Pairing Dowdle with Jerome Ford would help get this run game back on track and elevate the offense.”

The Cowboys have 25 players set to hit free agency, and while Dowdle may not be the most high-profile name on that list, he’s certainly a player the team would like to retain after his breakout performance this season.

However, Dowdle is a player the Cowboys could afford to lose, particularly if his price tag rises, especially with an upcoming draft class stacked with running back talent that could help fill the void.

Cowboys, OC Brian Schottenheimer to continue talks for head coaching job Wednesday – Sean Leahy, Yahoo! Sports

Dallas seems to be enamored by their current OC becoming their new HC.

Brian Schottenheimer and the Dallas Cowboys will talk again on Wednesday, Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein confirmed, as the team looks to fill its open head coaching job.

Schottenheimer, who has been the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator since 2023, interviewed for the head coaching job on Tuesday over the course of four hours. Now he’ll reportedly get more time to convince the Dallas brass that he is the right man to succeed Mike McCarthy.

It’s no surprise Schottenheimer is getting a look. Owner Jerry Jones prioritizes coaches he is familiar with and that could be a reason why Schottenheimer is the favorite for the job.

As of this week, Schottenheimer became the betting favorite on DraftKings at -250 odds (bet $250 to win $100). Kellen Moore, who was the initial favorite, went back to +250 odds.

The Cowboys job would be the first NFL head coaching gig for the 51-year-old Schottenehimer, who is the son of the late Marty Schottenheimer. Brian Schottenheimer served as quarterbacks coach for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers from 2001-2005 and was the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets, St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks before landing in Dallas in 2022.

While McCarthy called the plays in Dallas, should Schottenheimer land a head coaching job, whether with the Cowboys or elsewhere, he reportedly wants to have that responsibility.

Schottenheimer is the first known internal candidate to interview for the Cowboys head coaching job. Team executives have already spoken to Moore, Robert Saleh and Leslie Frazier during the process.The Cowboys job would be the first NFL head coaching gig for the 51-year-old Schottenehimer, who is the son of the late Marty Schottenheimer. Brian Schottenheimer served as quarterbacks coach for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers from 2001-2005 and was the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets, St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks before landing in Dallas in 2022.

Why the Cowboys shouldn’t hire Brian Schottenheimer as head coach – LP Cruz, BloggingTheBoys.com

Making this internal hire may not be the best decision for the Cowboys.

No one knows where the Dallas Cowboys will turn to in finding their next head coach right now. They’ve been rumors about Deion Sanders; they had an interview with Robert Saleh and a virtual interview with Kellen Moore. It’s also hard to rule out reopening talks with Mike McCarthy if they genuinely were unsure of what direction to go after their negotiations broke down a few weeks ago.

That would be shocking, yet uninspired. However, what would be equally uninspiring is hiring Brian Schottenheimer for the position of head coach. Fans understand that Jerry Jones’ way of doing business isn’t like that of anyone else in the league. A positive spin would be that he is comfortable in his beliefs and methods, but a negative spin would be it’s terribly archaic for the modern NFL.

Dropping McCarthy and spurning other coveted candidates to promote from within with Schottenheimer would be a horrible mistake. Here’s why the Cowboys settling on Schottenheimer would set them back.

The Results

Should Dallas make the unpopular decision and hire Schottenheimer, it would be the first time he’s occupied that role in his coaching career. He is the son of longtime NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer. Like many others, Schottenheimer worked under his father in multiple stops while he developed his coaching experience in a career that spans almost 25 years.

Still, you wonder why it’s taken so long for him to have gotten a shot as an NFL head coach. When you look at his résumé and his results, you understand why. For much of his career, he’s failed to get the most out of quarterbacks, which is worse when his primary function as a position coach was quarterbacks. Here’s a long list of the outcomes of his primary starting quarterbacks with him as either the quarterbacks coach or offensive coordinator from 2001-2014.

Can he fix the problems from last year?

Over the last two seasons, the Cowboys offense has found itself in a rut regarding CeeDee Lamb. In 2023, there seemed to be a brick wall between Dak Prescott and Lamb until things clicked in the second half of the season, but that shouldn’t have been a problem. It also happened this year, with Lamb disappearing for stretches at times during games. Look around the NFL, it doesn’t seem so easy to take away premier receivers like Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. Yet, it’s been happening in Dallas.

Last year, Prescott also saw his production take a downturn before he ultimately went on injured reserve, but the numbers weren’t looking good. He threw eleven touchdowns versus eight interceptions. The Cowboys were one of the worst red zone offenses in the NFL in 2024 and only better than the lowly New York Giants. Dallas converted just 46% of their red zone drives into touchdowns. The last two points would be the usage of KaVontae Turpin. Turpin is the most explosive offensive talent the Cowboys have, but somehow, there’s no concerted effort to get him touches with regularity. Finally, does Schottenheimer have the ability to develop integral pieces on the roster, like Tyler Guyton, who will play a pivotal role in the team’s future?