Blogging The Boys
What do you think the Cowboys are planning for Deuce Vaughn?
At the end of the 2024 season Cowboys fans felt frustrated and exhausted after a tumultuous year. Questions were asked, and none more so than about the issues at the running back position. Ezekiel Elliott was released to seek employment with a playoff team after a relatively quiet second stint at Dallas. Dalvin Cook never moved off Cowboy purgatory, and was left hanging on the practice squad for the year then became a free agent. Then after a surprisingly good end to the season, Rico Dowdle got to test free agency and was quickly snapped up by the Carolina Panthers.
That left two backs on the roster for Dallas, Hunter Luepke, who comes with his own set of questions but has proved to be a reliable fullback for the offense, and the enigma that is Deuce Vaughn.
Vaughn is a massive fan favorite, and no one can forget his moment in the 2023 draft when his own father, who was on the Cowboys staff, got to call his own son to tell him he was being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. His time at Kansas State speaks for itself and he racked up some extremely impressive all-purpose yards playing for the Wildcats.
In three years while playing at K-State, he churned out an elite level of production that included 4,884 all-purpose yards and 43 total touchdowns. That gave Cowboys fans some serious hope for the shifty running back, but as time grew that light faded and the scout saying of “stats stay in school” seems to be fitting for Vaughn.
Cowboys coaches tried to figure out how to use this seriously undersized back and failed numerous times. Since joining Dallas, all he’s managed in two seasons is 204 total scrimmage yards and five first downs. That’s extremely disappointing. But with so many players moving on that were ahead of him after free agency this year, things looked like Vaughn may have a chance at a real role.
Then Dallas added Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders in free agency, that put Vaughn back down the pecking order, but still in a position to put himself in contention for a final roster spot. Then a bigger blow came during the draft when Dallas added not one, but two new running backs. Both Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah are fighting for a role on this running back committee. This is a huge setback for Vaughn and puts him on the outside for a sport as of now.
When Vaughn was drafted one extra layer to his versatility was the fact he could play on special teams, but with the emergence of KaVontae Turpin as an elite return specialist removing an option for Vaughn to play, he is further away from a role on the roster. Even on offense, Turpin takes away from Vaughn by being a fast and shifty receiver that can execute gadget plays, something that could have been what kept...
