The Cowboys, after letting Troy Pollard walk in free agency and not signing a starting-caliber running back to replace him, were widely expected to draft a running back. They didn’t.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said after the draft that he thinks the running backs the Cowboys do have -- including Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn -- are a good group. And he dropped another hint that Ezekiel Elliott could be returning to Dallas.
“It’s a young group, but they all have upside . . . I think they’ll be better in the second year of the offense. . . . I feel really good about where we are today . . . and it’s not over,” McCarthy said, via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.
The “it’s not over” part at the end is another indication that Elliott could sign as a free agent, a year after the Cowboys cut him and he played the 2023 season for the Patriots. The Cowboys are reportedly planning to sign Elliott, and at this point it would be a surprise if he’s not back in Dallas this season.