Advertisement

sportsCowboys

Why NFL draft is key to Cowboys’ financial reset at running back

No NFL team devoted more of its salary cap to running backs in 2022 than the Cowboys.

Building a roster when a franchise quarterback is under his second NFL contract requires a different approach than when he is under his first.

The Cowboys know this. Owner Jerry Jones publicly acknowledges this.

That is what made their 2019 extension of running back Ezekiel Elliott so curious.

Advertisement

With Dak Prescott soon due a second contract that would average $40 million per year, the team resolved Elliott’s holdout with a problematic six-year, $90 million contract. The deal’s structure was the main issue, as it featured an early trigger on the guarantees to his 2021 and 2022 salaries.

Cowboys

Be the smartest Cowboys fan. Get the latest news.

Or with:

Immediately following his release last week, the team rightfully honored Elliott and all he represents. His work ethic, toughness and spirit are among the traits teammates expect to miss if indeed without him in 2023. Moving forward, from a business standpoint, the Cowboys can begin to escape the financial hole into which they dug themselves four years ago.

RELATED: Dallas Cowboys’ latest moves mean free agency heavy lifting is done. What’s next?

Advertisement

No NFL team devoted more of its salary cap to running backs in 2022 than the Cowboys. They had $19.8 million tied there, according to Spotrac. Elliott was responsible for $18.2 million, which alone was more than any other team’s entire backfield.

The outlook is not much brighter in the short term.

The Cowboys retained Tony Pollard with a $10.1 million franchise tag, all of which will count against the 2023 cap barring a multi-year deal being reached by July 15. Elliott counts $16.7 million toward the cap until June 1. His total will then lower to $5.8 million with another $6 million coming in 2024.

Advertisement

Ideally, by 2025, the Cowboys will be among the league’s lowest cap spenders at running back.

Their effort to achieve that starts now.

Running backs Ronald Jones and Rico Dowdle signed one-year contracts Tuesday. Those low-cost moves, in conjunction with a likely draft pick spent at the position in April, are what the road to financially resetting the position looks like.

This was the earliest the effort could begin.

There was no way out of Elliott’s contract. By being on the roster in March 2020, Elliott was fully guaranteed his $9.6 million salary in 2021. By being on the roster in March 2021, he was fully guaranteed his $12.4 million salary in 2022.

RELATED: Are trade-happy Dallas Cowboys a serious NFC contender? They’re a few steps closer

In effect, the Cowboys fully guaranteed a running back elite pay at his position in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh seasons of his NFL career — following a 300-touch workload in each of his final two college seasons — at the same time their quarterback was entering a significant spike in compensation.

Elliott has been a free agent for about a week.

Advertisement

That time has allowed him to gauge the market that awaits him at this stage in his NFL career.

The possibility Elliott, who turns 28 in July, could return to the Cowboys, accepting a lesser role at far lesser compensation, cannot be ruled out. At least, multiple club officials declined this week to close the door on a potential return. Regardless, however Elliott’s future unfolds, the future for the franchise at running back is quite clear.

The road to a financial reset has begun.

Possible Cowboys draft targets at running back

Texas running back Bijan Robinson runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in...
Texas running back Bijan Robinson runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Sunday, March 5, 2023. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)(Erin Hooley / ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Advertisement

1. Bijan Robinson, Texas. Anything could happen on draft day. But chances are Robinson is the Kyle Pitts of this draft for the Cowboys: someone the public discusses ad nauseum but proves to be long gone before the team is on the clock. Dallas is highly unlikely to select a running back before Day 2 or 3.

2. Zach Charbonnet, UCLA. We are skipping someone like Jahmyr Gibbs. That is no knock on the former Alabama star; he is one of the draft’s most explosive athletes. But if the Cowboys are to draft a back, the prospect likely will complement Pollard’s running style, not replicate it. Charbonnet shows excellent promise as an inside runner.

3. DeWayne McBride, UAB. NFL teams didn’t see much of McBride in the pass game. In his college career, he caught five passes for 29 yards compared with 485 carries, 3,523 yards and 36 touchdowns as a runner. Ball security was an issue at times. He missed his pro day with a hamstring strain but has a makeup workout scheduled April 21.

4. Kendre Miller, TCU. Miller moves well for his size at 5-11 and 215 pounds. He shows good contact balance and has the expected spring of someone who doesn’t turn 21 until June and saw only one season of bell-cow usage in Fort Worth.

Advertisement

5. Roschon Johnson, Texas. It is easy to imagine Johnson being higher on the Cowboys’ draft board than many other teams’. His physical style between the tackles would seem to make him a natural fit here. Robinson’s presence in Austin also preserved the tread on his tires, as Johnson never reached 100 carries in a single season. Malik Davis benefited from the same dynamic with Dameon Pierce at Florida.

On Twitter: @GehlkenNFL

Related Stories
View More

Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here