FRISCO, Texas -- It's safe to say the 2024 NFL season hasn't gone as planned for the 3-6 Dallas Cowboys, losers of four games in a row.
Quarterback Dak Prescott, the 2023 NFL MVP runner-up, is out for the season after undergoing surgery on his injured hamstring in New York. Cornerback DaRon Bland, the 2023 NFL interceptions leader, has yet to play this season while recovering from a stress fracture in his foot. Dallas' defensive end depth has been decimated by numerous injuries. The offensive line has been up and down while working in rookies at left tackle (first-round pick Tyler Guyton) and center (third-round pick Cooper Beebe).
Another element of the 2024 Cowboys that has failed to launch through the first half of the season is their ground game. Dallas is averaging the second-fewest rushing yards per game this season (83.7) while operating under the running back by committee approach. They have cycled through veteran undrafted free agent Rico Dowdle (83 carries), late-career Ezekiel Elliott (54 carries), late-career Dalvin Cook (eight carries) and have also sprinkled in wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (11 carries).
When asked Thursday about Dowdle's importance, especially through the lens of slowing down the Houston Texans pass rush led by 2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. and four-time Pro Bowler Danielle Hunter, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy planted his flag on a true, RB1 for the first time in 2024. He's chosen the 26-year-old Dowdle.
"Definitely, you have to get him the ball," McCarthy said about Dowdle. "That's my focus to continue to get him opportunities. He's the lead back. I thought he had a really good first half [against the Eagles], and I think that's really illustrated by the attempts. Rico needs to touch the ball."
Dowdle appreciated the vote of confidence from his head coach.
"It means a lot coming from Coach McCarthy," Dowdle said Thursday. "Showing that they got confidence, and they trusted me as the starting running back of the Dallas Cowboys. I take that with great pride. That's a good accomplishment coming from my situation, undrafted and all the adversity I've been through. Definitely take pride and love hearing that from Coach McCarthy."
Dowdle went undrafted out of the University of South Carolina in 2020, and he was buried on the depth chart for years behind both Elliott and Tony Pollard, who left this past offseason to sign with the Tennessee Titans in free agency. Dallas not drafting a running back high in the last two drafts also let Dowdle know that he had a legit chance to ascend the depth chart. In 2023, he had the No. 2 spot on the depth chart after a few years of being the No. 3. He also overcame a broken hip he suffered in 2021 and now leads the team in rushing yards (374) and carries (83) while also leading Cowboys running backs in yards per carry (4.5).
"Undrafted to now being the starting running back for America's Team," Dowdle said. "Definitely, I take great pride in that. ... That [injuries] was one of my things that was hindering me I guess when I broke my hip two, three years ago. Definitely gratifying. I've always had confidence that I would be able to go out there and get the job done. I knew I could go out there and do it. It was just a matter of when and staying healthy throughout it all when I do get those opportunities."
Dowdle is also one of three running backs in the entire NFL this season with three receiving touchdowns, along with Miami Dolphins speedster De'Von Achane (three) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White (four). His three receiving touchdowns are the most for a Cowboys running back through the first nine games of a season since Pro Football Hall of Famer's Emmitt Smith's three back in the first nine games of the 1996 season.
Dowdle first got a taste of what it's like to be a lead back in Week 5 on "Sunday Night Football" at the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Dallas' 20-17 victory, Dallas totaled a career-high 87 rushing yards on a career-high 20 carries while also catching a 22-yard receiving touchdown. He feels confident his body can hold up with that type of workload on a regular basis.
"Yeah, for sure," Dowdle said when asked if he can be a 20-carry back regularly. "In my past, it was all about the injuries and things like that, but now I feel that I've got my body in the best shape and best position possible for me. So I definitely think I can go out there and operate at a high level of consistency."
There was a social media controversy among Cowboys fans that Dowdle wasn't really sick in Week 6 at the San Francisco 49ers, a 30-24 loss, and that the reason he was inactive with Cook being active for the first time was so that Elliott didn't have to be scratched. However, Dowdle debunked that theory by confirming he really had a fever and indicated that he knew the lead back role was coming his way even then.
"I knew before the game. We talk about the game plan and stuff throughout the week, and the past couple of weeks has been trending in that direction of me getting more carries and things like that," Dowdle said. "I definitely knew and definitely didn't want to miss that one. I think I could have helped out.
The last two weeks after Dowdle was inactive at the 49ers with a fever, he's been efficient in defeats at the Atlanta Falcons and against the Philadelphia Eagles: He's totaled 128 rushing yards on 24 carries for an effective 5.3 yards per carry.
"Yeah, Rico's running hard. He's running fast, running hard," Cowboys fill-in starting quarterback Cooper Rush said on Thursday. "He broke a couple long ones there for us last week. He's been doing that all year. He's been consistent, and we look forward to every time he touches it."
Now that he is THE guy in the back, Dowdle is thrilled about the opportunity to find more of a rhythm in the second half of the season with Dallas desperately needing to end their four-game losing streak to avoid falling further down the NFC standings. To do so, he'll have to overcome Houston's 11th-ranked run defense that allows 113.3 rushing yards per game and ranks ninth in defensive rushing expected points added (27.0).
"The committee approach was something that wasn't working for us, so I stood firm on wanting to find that rhythm since the beginning," Dowdle said. "You want to be able able to get out there and get the bulk of the carries and find that rhythm. ... It's all about finding that rhythm. A lot of times when you're going in and only getting a handful [of carries], you find yourself trying to make that big play. Chase that big play all the time because you might not be getting as many reps. It's about finding that rhythm, and I think that helps a guy like me. I think I get stronger as the game goes."
