Why This Dallas RB Can Be the Cowboys’ Breakout Star

The Dallas Cowboys made one of the most regrettable decisions in franchise history when they signed Ezekiel Elliott to a six-year, $90 million contract extension before the 2019 season. Elliott’s career steadily declined that same season. This left Dallas with an older, declining asset who was taking up a large percentage of the team’s salary cap.

The Elliott contract appears to have scarred the organization, which seems to be headed differently by going cheaper at the running back position. The Cowboys signed veteran running back Royce Freeman, who played for the Los Angeles Rams last year, to a one-year deal this past offseason to add some depth at the position.

Cowboys Executive Vice President Stephen Jones, spoke highly about Freeman during a recent appearance on 105.3 The Fan. (via Jon Machota)

Freeman will be able to compete for the top spot on the Cowboys’ depth chart. With multiple question marks for the team at the position, anything is possible for the 28-year-old veteran back.

A Look Into Royce Freeman’s Career

Freeman has bounced around the league his entire career

Freeman was one of the more electrifying players in college football during his days playing for the Oregon Ducks. He left college as the school’s all-time leading rusher with 5,621 career yards on the ground, which still stands today.

Freeman was drafted in the third round by the Denver Broncos in the 2018 NFL Draft, but he never quite lived up to the hype that surrounded him during the pre-draft process. He was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers in 2021 after being cut by Denver following his third season with the team.

His time in Carolina was unproductive and cut short as he was released by the team during the middle of the season. The Houston Texans then proceeded to claim him off waivers, but Freeman saw similar results while playing in Space City.

Freeman landed with the Los Angeles Rams last season, where he had the most production since his second season in the league. He carried the ball 77 times and scored two touchdowns on the ground, reaching the endzone for the first time since the 2019 season.

Royce Freeman had another extremely efficient day running the ball for the Rams.

Among RBs with at least 15 carries, Freeman led the NFL in rushing yards over expected per attempt in Week 11. Zero negative runs.

He’s added a “Sony Michel-like” physicality to the run game. pic.twitter.com/FS360AQy7w

— Blaine Grisak 💭 (@bgrisakTST) November 20, 2023

Freeman will be heading into this season with some momentum for the first time in a while. He made the most of his opportunities with the Rams last year by showing flashes of being the player experts had once envisioned he would become.

Freeman has bounced around the league for most of his career, and he is set to play for his fifth different squad this season. However, the window of opportunity is wide open in Dallas, as the team has multiple question marks in the running back room.

Breaking Down The Cowboys Running Back Room

The door is wide open for Freeman to become a breakout star in Dallas

The Cowboys head into this season without a clear-cut number one option at running back. They will be taking a running back by committee approach this season with an ongoing competition in training camp for the number one spot on the depth chart.

Elliott is listed as the number one back on the depth chart, which will likely change. Elliott’s speed has diminished greatly over the years due to the amount of wear and tear on his body. Elliott will likely be the third down back this season as he excels the most in pass protection and short-yardage situations.

Rico Dowdle is listed at the No. 2 spot and is the safest starting option at this point for Dallas. The 26-year-old back served as a solid number two option behind Tony Pollard last season while showing flashes of him potentially becoming a three-down back in the future. However, Dowdle has missed 32 games in his four-year career, which draws major concern regarding his ability to be a No. 1 running back.

As you can see, Freeman has a realistic chance to take over as the lead back, considering that the room lacks an alpha. An advantage that he has over Elliott would be his fresh legs. He hasn’t experienced Zeke’s heavy workload throughout his career, and hasn’t had the injury history that Dowdle has had.

Freeman, Elliot, and Dowdle will continue to battle it out during camp and help their squad repeat as NFC East champs in 2024.