Inside The Star
The Dallas Cowboys running backs have been generating storylines for years now. Whether it be the Ezekiel Elliott era, the transition to Tony Pollard, or the struggle to find a franchise back since his departure, there is no shortage of coverage for this position group.
In 2025, the unit faces an uphill climb to exceed some low expectations. Where last season’s depth chart had familiarity, this one has, quite literally, none of that.
Dallas is carrying five running backs with a chance of making the roster, and Deuce Vaughn is the only one who has prior experience with the team. Outside of him, it’s two free agent signings and two rookies.
Dallas Cowboys RB room:
Javonte Williams
Miles Sanders
Deuce Vaughn
Jaydon Blue
Phil Mafah
Hunter Luepke
Malik Davis— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) April 26, 2025
This means we don’t know what to expect, especially since the new guys are not coming in with high hopes or great track records.
Here, we’ll look at three Cowboys running backs and what their realistic expectations should be heading into 2025.
This may be underwhelming to the fans, but if we’re being realistic, this is the most likely outcome for seventh-rounder Phil Mafah.
Coming out of Clemson, Mafah was expected to be a late-round or undrafted talent; that stayed true when Dallas selected him with the 239th pick. His limited range of skills dropped him there, and it’s what will keep him off the 53-man roster this fall.
Mafah has been labeled a one-trick pony in some circles, as his bruising running style, power, and size far outweigh any other aspects of his game.
Dallas does need a running back who can score on the goal line, but the odds of them choosing Mafah to do that over a guy like Javonte Williams or Miles Sanders are quite slim. Those two can make an impact in other ways.
This isn’t to say he doesn’t have a future with the Cowboys, but as many seventh-round running backs start out, it will likely begin on the practice squad.
Speaking of rookies, Jaydon Blue will certainly get a larger workload than Mafah, but it still won’t be at a starter level. Dallas has something special in his skill set. Now it’s about fine-tuning it while also allowing him to make the big plays.
Blue’s game-breaking speed and explosiveness will show up on the field this season, but he is still a fifth-round pick with two experienced veterans ahead of him.
The last thing this Cowboys offense needs is fumbles, and that is Blue’s biggest weakness.
https://twitter.com/noah_gross27/status/1742047068091261035
He fumbled the ball at a ridiculously high rate throughout his collegiate career, and even put it on the ground during the College Football Playoff. As much as I think he gets past that during his career, it is unlikely to...
