A strong running game will really help everything on offense.

After moving on from former first-round pick Ezekiel Elliott after the 2022 season, the Cowboys turned the keys to the running back room over to Tony Pollard, although he was coming off of a leg injury. He would rush for over 1,000 yards last season, but it was clear that the quickness and explosiveness weren’t the same as in year’s past.

Pollard was a free agent to begin the offseason, and he even considered taking less money to return. Money talks, though, and Pollard is now with the Tennessee Titans. So, this put the Cowboys in quite the bind at running back with Rico Dowdle also being a free agent, leaving Deuce Vaughn and Malik Davis as the only real viable options on the roster. Fortunately for the Cowboys, Dowdle signed a one-year deal to return to Dallas, giving them a much-needed physical and violent style type of runner between the tackles. However, the Cowboys need to do more to get the running back position back stable, and it’ll only take a few simple moves to do so.

The first thing will be to bring in a veteran to add some depth behind Dowdle and Vaughn. Luckily for the Cowboys, there are still some pretty good options available like a possible reunion with Elliott or signing someone like Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Cam Akers, J.K. Dobbins, or Kareem Hunt. Most importantly, especially with how they do business as it pertains to free agents, none of these guys will cost a lot. Then, there’s next month’s NFL draft, which is where the Cowboys can substantially improve their fortunes at running back.

Earlier this month, we discussed how Trey Benson from Florida State would be a great option for the Cowboys in the first two rounds with his 4.38 speed and ability to be effective in zone and gap schemes. Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright, Michigan’s Blake Corum, and Jonathon Brooks from Texas are other prospects to keep an eye on during the first two days of the draft. There are also some mid-to-late-round options as well like USC’s Marshawn Lloyd, Notre Dame’s Audric Estime, and Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen.

Dallas has transitioned to more of a passing team with Dak Prescott having one of his best statistical football seasons last year. That’s great, but a more balanced attack would serve the Cowboys well and not put so much of the responsibility on Prescott. So, Dallas needs to open the checkbook for a free agent and make an efficient choice during the draft at running back to make their offense more formidable.