With huge roster hole and deep class, Cowboys should double dip this position in the draft
The 2025 NFL draft is approaching and there's work to do if the Dallas Cowboys want to dramatically improve for the upcoming season. One position where the team could still use an upgrade is at running back.
Despite signing two veteran RBs in Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, the Cowboys should be seriously considering double dipping in the draft and selecting two runners. The depth and talent of this class at RB is so good, the Cowboys could draft two RBs and reset the position for the next handful of seasons. The prospects are too good, and the current depth isn't substantial enough to bypass drafting two.
Dallas' depth chart currently has Williams leading the way, with Sanders, Malik Davis and Deuce Vaughn all following behind. There are some solid veteran options in the group, but none should preclude the team from drafting a RB on Day 1 or Day 2 in the draft and then adding another one in the later rounds. Neither Williams nor Sanders got a significant enough deal to stop the Cowboys from doubling up at the position.
Absolutely something Ive been saying, double up, reset the RB room for the next handful of years https://t.co/8bH6JbXF1Y
— Ben Grimaldi (@BenGrimaldi) March 24, 2025
Williams is the presumed starter, but he hasn't surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in his four-year career and has just 1,287 yards in his last two seasons. He was a second-round selection for the Denver Broncos, whose career has been derailed by injury and ineffectiveness. Williams is a solid RB who helps with depth, but he's not a top-of-the-line starter.
Sanders received a small guarantee of $1 million to sign, and has a 1,269-yard season under his belt. However that came with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, and he followed that up with a big contract from the Carolina Panthers, where he's accumulated a measly 637 yards over the last two years. In six seasons in the league, Sanders has just one 1,000-yard season, despite rushing behind an elite offensive line. As a former second-round pick, Sanders has underperformed.
Davis and Vaughn have a combined 271 yards and one score over the course of their careers, so they can be easily replaced.
None of the current RBs are guaranteed to keep their jobs with the Cowboys, who have the opportunity to draft two better options come late April. The team might not use the 12th odfdverall pick on one, but the insane depth at the position should lead the Cowboys to think about selecting two.
As time goes on, it's seems unlikely Boise St. superstar Ashton Jeanty gets the Cowboys with their first selection at 12 overall, but the consolation prizes are great prospects as well. The team could have their pick of North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton or Iowa's Kaleb Johnson if they want, either at pick 12, or later in the round if the Cowboys trade back.
Even if they miss out on the consensus top three options, drafting Ohio St.'s TreVeyon Henderson or Quinshon Judkins, as well as Tennessee's Dylan Sampson could be great options in the second or third rounds. Kansas' Devin Neal, Central Florida's R.J. Harvey and Arizona St.'s Cam Skattebo would also make great choices if the team waited to select one of those prospects.
2025 RB Class
— Elite Drafters (@Elite_Drafters) March 1, 2025
Elite RAS Scores
9.93 - Omarion Hampton
9.89 - DJ Giddens
9.88 - Quinshon Judkins
9.45 - TreVeyon Henderson pic.twitter.com/lUrDCIbIky
If the Cowboys did select one of these RBs on the first two days of the draft, they could still come back and get another prospect in the fifth or sixth rounds that could make the roster. Virginia Tech's Bhayshul Tuten, Oklahoma St.'s Ollie Gordon, Texas' Jaydon Blue, Kansas St.'s DJ Giddens, and Texas Tech's Tahj Brooks all fall into this category. Every one of the RBs on this list except for Blue have 1,100-yard seasons under their belts, and Blue's issue was that he was in a timeshare in college. Giddens would come to Dallas with some familiarity since the new offensive line coach, Conor Riley, was his coordinator at Kansas St.
This is just a fraction of the options, there are many more RBs who could be available for the Cowboys to select.
Drafting two young RBs could set the offense up for the next four to five years, and the Cowboys wouldn't have to worry about the position in the foreseeable future. The talent is too good to pass up and the Cowboys could have their next young stud backfield, like they had with Julius Jones and Marion Barber, selected in the 2004 and 2005 drafts, respectively.
With 10 picks coming in late April, the Cowboys are bound to double-dip somewhere, they'd be wise to do it at the draft's deepest position.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: 2025 NFL Draft: Dallas Cowboys may need to select two running backs
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