It only took two months for Mike McCarthy to realize what Dallas Cowboys fans have known since the offseason.
Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
At 3-3, the Dallas Cowboys are still very much alive in the NFC East race. The problem is that they’ve been so inconsistent on both sides of the ball that it’s hard to believe they can make a legitimate run.
One thing that would help tremendously would be getting their running game on track. Entering Week 8, they’re dead last in rushing with 463 yards on the ground. More than half of that is courtesy of Rico Dowdle, who has 246 yards on 56 attempts — an average of 4.2 per rush.
Despite his performance, Dallas has given him fewer than 10 attempts in four of their six contests. Dowdle’s best output was in Week 5 when he went for 87 yards on 20 carries but they inexplicably limited him to five attempts in Week 6 while giving eight attempts to Ezekiel Elliott.
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Zeke, who recently expressed frustration with his role, rewarded them with 17 yards on those carries. On the year, he has 38 attempts for 115 yards — and a career-low average of 3.0 per carry. That’s why the fan base has been begging for more Dowdle and less Elliott, which Mike McCarthy finally seems willing to do.
While speaking with reporters in preparation for their Week 8 showdown with the San Francisco 49ers, McCarthy said Dowdle “needs to touch the ball more.”
It’s baffling that it took this long for McCarthy to come to this realization. While it’s fair to say Dowdle isn’t an elite running back, he’s been the only one on this roster who consistently looks as though they belong in the NFL.
He’s not just a solid runner either. Dowdle has been good in the passing game with 131 yards and two touchdowns on 16 receptions.
Cowboys should also get Dalvin Cook involved
New York Jets running back Dalvin Cook / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images
In addition to putting the ball in Dowdle’s hands, the Cowboys need to see what Dalvin Cook has to offer. He was signed to the practice squad ahead of the regular season debut but has yet to be activated.
Instead, Dallas opted to go with Elliott and Deuce Vaughn — who has given them 20 yards on seven attempts. Cook isn’t the player he once was, going for 214 yards on 67 attempts for an average of 3.2 per attempt in 2023 with the New York Jets. That’s still more productive than both Zeke and Vaughn.
The Cowboys don’t have the talent to be a feared rushing attack. But by making these small tweaks, they could at least be competent. And that would be a huge difference from the first six games.
