Cowboys’ RBBC approach last worked 50 years ago

With the acquisition of wide receiver George Pickens last week from the Pittsburgh Steelers, we now know two things about the Dallas Cowboys’ 2025 offense for sure.

The first is that there will be no Jerry Jones-Amari Cooper reunion tour. Ever, or at least for as long as Jones retains control of the franchise.

He clearly would rather trade a draft pick and risk an Antonio Brown Jr. being on the roster than admit he was wrong about trading away Cooper a few seasons back.

The second is that there will be no trading for an established veteran to be the Cowboys’ RB1 in 2025.

That means Dallas is going to go with a running back by committee approach on offense this fall.

Could that work, especially if Dak Prescott and the passing attack can find the next gear? It could and it has in the past.

By past, we mean a half-century ago when the Cowboys last tried it.

Sort of, anyway.

By The Numbers

Back in the 1975 and 1976 seasons, Dallas had lost running backs Duane Thomas and Calvin Hill to dissatisfaction over their respective contracts.

Thomas was traded after the 1971 season and eventually ended up with the Washington Redskins in 1973 and 1974 before being out of football for good after a four-year career. Hill, who replaced Thomas as the starter in 1972, went to the brand-new World Football League.

Hill would be a Honolulu Hawaiians for the 1974 season before coming back to the NFL with the Redskins for two years and then a four-year stint with the Cleveland Browns.

Without an established RB1, the Cowboys turned to the RBBC approach with four running backs and a running quarterback in Roger Staubach.

Here’s how they fared over those two years:

1975

• Player G/Starts Carries Yards TDs
• Robert Newhouse (FB) 14-13 209 930 2
• Preston Pearson (RB) 14-10 133 509 2
• Doug Dennison (RB) 13-4 111 383 7
• Roger Staubach (QB) 13-13 55 316 4
• Charley Young (RB) 12-1 50 225 2

1976

• Doug Dennison (RB) 14-10 153 542 6
• Robert Newhouse (FB) 14-7 116 450 3
• Scott Laidlaw (FB) 13-7 94 424 3
• Preston Pearson (RB) 10-2 68 233 1
• Charley Young (RB) 11-2 48 208 0
• Roger Staubach (QB) 14-14 43 184 3

While listed as a fullback, in these two seasons, the versatile Newhouse was a solid halfback. Doug Dennison was a bit of a touchdown vulture.

Newhouse had more carries and more yardage, but Dennison was getting the ball in the endzone to close out drives.

Preston Pearson and Roger Staubach contributed as well, with Charley Young accounting for some nice yardage with limited chances. In 1976, Scott Laidlaw was putting up solid numbers as a fullback.

For individual stats, the approach seems to have paid off.

But how did the team fare overall?

Limited Successes

In 1975, the Cowboys went 10-4. Good enough for second in...