The Dallas Cowboys are looking for a spark on offense with Dak Prescott sidelined for the remainder of the year, and Mike McCarthy is hoping to get it from one of his running backs.
Rico Dowdle has been the Cowboys’ best running back this season, but he has mostly operated in a committee with Ezekiel Elliott and even Dalvin Cook. Dowdle has carried the ball more than 12 times just once in a game, and that was back in Week 5.
On Thursday, McCarthy told reporters that he views Dowdle as a “lead back” and will start using him accordingly.
“Definitely, you have to get him the ball,” McCarthy said. “That’s my focus to continue to get him opportunities. He’s the lead back.”
There is no more running back by committee in Dallas. Mike McCarthy said Rico Dowdle is the Cowboys lead back: “Definitely, you have to get him the ball. That's my focus to continue to get him opportunities. He's the lead back.”
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) November 14, 2024
Dowdle is averaging 4.5 yards per carry, which is significantly better than Elliott’s 3.2. Elliott was also recently disciplined over his reported lack of commitment to the team this season.
The Cowboys have averaged just 83.7 rushing yards per game, which ranks 31st out of 32 NFL teams. It is hard to run the ball when you’re trailing big, but their run game was largely ineffective even when they were competitive in games. It sounds like Dowdle is at least going to get a real opportunity to to change that.
