Mike McCarthy comfortable with running back by committee approach for Cowboys
Following the departure of Tony Pollard, it was unclear how the Dallas Cowboys would approach the running back situation for the 2024 season. Unwilling to spend big bucks on a premiere name in free agency, the team picked up several young options, and a couple of veterans with Ezekiel Elliott and Royce Freeman this offseason.
The team is now chock-full of running backs, but it’s unclear who will take the reins when the season begins – whether it be Deuce Vaughn, Snoop Conner, Rico Dowdle, Malik Davis or another former undrafted free agent.
“I think it’s the times that we’re in. 17 games is a lot of football,” McCarthy said. “That’s a big role for those guys. Don’t get me wrong, they’d all like to carry it like the old days and have all those touches, but you want those guys fresh at the most important time of year. It’s all part of the planning and how you project touches and playing time.”
Of all the running backs on the roster, Elliott is the only one who’s played the feature back role in the NFL. Despite bringing him back for another run, McCarthy isn’t planning to put the full load on the former first-rounder as he believes that wouldn’t be “fair.”
“We’re running back by committee, but I think he’ll definitely play at the level that he’s played, I know, in my time here. I anticipate that,” McCarthy said. “I don’t see any drop off in the way he moves. He’s in good shape. … He’s come in here, and he’s picked up right where he left off.”
McCarthy glad to have ‘old-school’ Elliott back
From the outside, Elliott certainly appears to be the team’s best, or at least, most experienced running back. More than anything, McCarthy just likes having Elliott back in the locker room. He described the nine-year player as an “old-school” guy and somebody you like to have on your team.
“He’s an old-school guy,” McCarthy said. “He’ll go up and smack a 60-year-old man in the ass and it hurts. It’s those kinds of things that you just enjoy him — not that I enjoy getting smacked in the ass. But just enjoy his personality and having him back in the building. Things like that.”
Elliott is certainly an old-school player, being a former No. 4 overall pick in the NFL Draft. These days, most general managers will not touch a running back with a 10-foot pole in the first round. Dallas took the risk back in 2016 and the results were great for a while.
During his rookie season, Elliott finished third in MVP voting after leading the league in yards. The 2018 season was just as successful, once again having the most rushing yards in the NFL. Dallas had a back they could call upon, no matter the situation. Now, five years later, they’ll see if they can rely on him again.
On3’s Griffin McVeigh contributed to this report.