DALLAS — The Cowboys are synonymous with iconic running backs. Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith won Super Bowls and are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Less accomplished Ezekiel Elliott is not in that pantheon but is a former two-time NFL rushing champion.
Undrafted Rico Dowdle seems unlikely to ever be similarly distinguished. But he’s the starting running back now and has been since Week 2, replacing Elliott at the top of Mike McCarthy’s vaunted Running-Back-By-Committee.
That’s the outcome of the Cowboys’ front office decision this offseason not to pay top-of-the-market prices for a running back. That philosophy led to Tony Pollard’s defection and to Dowdle occupying the position that could otherwise have belonged to Derrick Henry.
It still seems odd during the week that Elliott is encircled by television cameras and reporters while standing in front of his locker near Dak Prescott’s. He was arguably the most important player on the roster for the second half of Jason Garrett’s coaching career but clearly not so anymore.
His return to the Cowboys after a dismal season with the Patriots is somewhat surprising, although he’s a popular figure in the locker room, Prescott’s closest teammate and someone who seemed capable of producing in short-yardage and goal-line situations.
Yet there was Dowdle at the end of the game with the Cowboys seeking to win in the final minutes from inside the Steelers’ 1-yard line. It was from there on his final carry of the best game of his career that Dowdle endured a fumble that was nearly fatal to the Cowboys, except that Prescott was quick to notice and willing to put himself at risk to recover it.
The Cowboys went into Pittsburgh with the worst rushing offense in the league. They came out of it with a victory that had much to do with Dowdle’s performance in a season-high 38 snaps.
Against a Steelers defense that ranked second in the NFL in scoring defense and is specifically designed to stop the run, Dowdle had 87 yards rushing and 114 yards from scrimmage, both career highs. He made a difficult touchdown reception in the fourth quarter that concluded a 90–yard drive on which Dowdle had eight touches.
Remarkable considering the opponent, playing on the road and the general expectations for an offense featuring an undrafted running back depending upon two rookie offensive line starters.
“What was cool for us is when we had to run the ball in the second half, I thought we were able to do that,’’ offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “That's a sign that there's progress. We're feeling better about the combinations in the running game. Again, kudos to Rico. He ran really, really hard and just some big plays.”
The victory in Pittsburgh for all its offensive ugliness — including three Prescott turnovers and consistent red-zone failure — was only the second time this season the Cowboys surpassed 100 yards rushing. McCarthy pronounced it their best game yet in terms of achieving his elusive goal of playing complementary football. Dowdle was very much in the middle of it all.
The Cowboys produced a season-high 445 yards and finally won the time-of-possession contest. The running game performed well enough to enable the Cowboys to protect their injury-depleted defense. The offense was on the field for 76 snaps — the defense merely 58.
Whether this is evolution or aberration might depend on whether Dowdle continues to improve. McCarthy has always praised his running style, which is determined, if not quite punishing. He has evolved as a blocker in pass protection. While McCarthy believes he’s a capable three-down back, Dowdle very much remains a work in progress.
“It was one of his most disciplined, patient games, and that's something he's been working on because he's got really good instincts,’’ Schottenheimer said. “But sometimes when you get sped up and you go too fast, you miss cuts and you miss reads on it.
“The (offensive linemen) would be the first to tell you when you miss a cut because they're wondering why the guy they're supposed to be blocking is not over there. They're back over there. They're the first ones to be like, Hey, yo, why'd you go back so fast? And so it's cool to see the communication between our players.’’
Schottenheimer cited Dowdle’s inherent lack of patience as a runner as being detrimental to the offensive line establishing their blocks and creating running lanes. There is more synchronization required than we might think. There is a timing component that Dowdle fails to recognize and use to advantage as elite runners must.
“I would say that Rico has always run hot,” Schottenheimer said. “What I mean by that: he sees where he wants to go and he wants to get there in a hurry.”
The offensive coaches, especially running backs coach Jeff Blasko, watch tape with Dowdle frequently, showing him how openings in the defense are developed and sequenced at the line of scrimmage and the second level of the defense.
The point of emphasis with Dowdle: Slow to the hole, then fast through it.
“When you're trying to tie in the seven or eight other guys involved in the blocking scheme, they've got targets and aiming points, meaning, I'm trying to strike the gun on the outside armpit or the outside shoulder, the outside number, and when you get there too fast, the blocks don't set up,’’ Schottenheimer explained. “So you show the video, you show the blocking schemes. You show how the linebackers play, but you literally talk about slow to go. So like, when you're running back, and different than receiver, receiver comes off the ball, right? Normally, he's going as fast as he can go.’’
The confidence McCarthy and his coaching staff have in Dowdle is reflected in the diminished role Elliott occupies. It also seems noteworthy that veteran Dalvin Cook is yet to be activated from the practice squad. Both rank in the top five in career rushing yards among current NFL running backs.
It is a curious dynamic in the running back room. The coaches seem to have convinced Elliott that his time will come late in the season when the games become more important. It cannot be easy on his ego. Then again, Elliott’s the first player in NFL history to suffer a decline in his rushing-yards-per-game average for seven consecutive seasons — and 2024 seems certain to extend that streak.
Prescott is understandably sympathetic to his teammate and close friend, praising his commitment to the team.
“That's a guy who's used to playing a lot,’’ the quarterback said before the Steelers game. “Yeah, I'm sure it's frustrating. I can't imagine being in that position, having to come off the field.
“So damn sure, frustrating, I'm sure, and I know it is, but he's a team-first guy, so he's not showing that. He's coming in, doing everything that he needs to do for this team, and just trying to make the most of his opportunities to keep himself on the field. And that's what a pro does.’’
When Schottenheimer was asked to assess Elliott’s status, he said, “I'll say again, Zeke’s been practicing great. I mean, he's been doing an awesome job in practice. It's going to come. Dalvin, we've been upping his (first-team) reps. It's going to come. Is it this week? I don't know. Is it after the bye? Don't know, but it's great to have those two guys in the room for the young backs as well.’’
The Cowboys could turn to experienced veterans should Dowdle falter but for the moment they seem willing to be patient — and hope that eventually he will embrace that concept of patience and incorporate it into his running style.