The Detroit Lions embarrassed the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6, and while there are a host of problems Dallas must address to get back on track, developing a viable running game remains among the most pressing.
The Cowboys ran the ball for just 53 yards in a 47-9 home loss to the Lions on Sunday, October 13. Running back Rico Dowdle led the way with 5 carries for 25 yards, while Ezekiel Elliott carried the ball 8 times for only 17 yards, according to ESPN.
Part of the specific issue was that Dallas fell behind so quickly and by so much that the team simply had to resort to throwing the football an outsized percentage of the time — Cowboys QBs combined to attempt 44 passes compared to only 17 runs out of the backfield.
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
Still, Dallas has been among the NFL’s worst squads on the ground all season. The Cowboys are currently second-to-last in the league with just 463 total rushing yards and tied for last with only 2 TDs, per NFL.com.
The team Dallas is tied with at the bottom of the league, the Cleveland Browns, just lost its starting running back in Jerome Ford to a hamstring injury. However, four-time Pro Bowler Nick Chubb is expected to return next week against the Cincinnati Bengals — his first game back since suffering a devastating knee injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2 of last season.
That said, Cleveland is 1-5 and on the verge of being forced to punt on the season and tank for a top pick in the 2025 draft, where it can find a QB to replace Deshaun Watson. If/when that becomes an official reality, the Browns may not have any use for Chubb, as he will only help them to win games that would be more beneficial to lose.
Running back Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns.
Getty Images
Furthermore, Chubb agreed to a restructured contract that dropped his salary to just under $2.3 million this year and will be an unrestricted free agent in March 2025 heading into his age-30 season.
While the Browns may no longer have need for Chubb’s contributions, the running back will certainly desire a stage to prove he has returned healthy and can still perform at a high level. There is no better opportunity for that than the one offered by a highly publicized, not to mention highly criticized, 3-3 Cowboys team looking to turn its season around.
Cleveland could get a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick in return for Chubb, who doesn’t appear on track to be back with the team next season anyway, while the Cowboys could get a running back with 6,511 yards and 48 TDs across 77 career games — a win on both sides.
