The Cowboys’ struggles in the running game have played a role in the team’s 1-2 start to the 2024 season.

Dallas has had one of the worst running offenses in the NFL for three weeks. His rushing yard total of 221 is the third lowest in the league, surpassing only the Bears (218) and Raiders (153).

The Cowboys let Tony Pollard leave in free agency and didn’t spend the money or use a draft pick to find a notable replacement. Instead, they brought back a familiar face in Ezekiel Elliott and hoped one of Rico Dowdle or Deuce Vaughn could fill the change-of-pace role.

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That plan hasn’t paid off so far, and Dallas needs to become a more versatile offense to take some pressure off Dak Prescott in the passing game.

Below is the Cowboys running back depth chart.

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Cowboys RB depth chart

Ezekiel Elliott

Elliott showed last season with the Patriots that he still has something left in the tank. He had 184 carries for 642 rushing yards and three touchdowns in 15 games and five starts. He also added 51 receptions for 313 receiving yards – his most since 2020 with the Cowboys.

Elliott secured a one-year, $2 million deal with Dallas this offseason but has struggled in an RB1 role. The 29-year-old veteran averages just 20.7 yards and has completed 19 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown in three games.

The Cowboys will need Elliott to turn back the clock as the season progresses.

Rico Dowdle

Dowdle has taken on the RB2 role and made an impact in both the running and passing games. He only has 23 carries for 88 rushing yards, but has increased his total in every game so far. He also has up to eight receptions for 59 yards.

If Elliott continues to fail in the RB1 role, Dowdle would be the next man to take on a larger workload.

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Hunter Lüpke

Luepke joined the Cowboys in 2023 as an undrafted free agent from North Dakota State. So far this season, he has only been used as a receiver and has four receptions for 59 yards on no carries.

He’s a distant RB3 option in Dallas’ backfield behind Elliott and Dowdle.

Deuce Vaughn

Vaughn dropped out of Dallas’ running back rotation at the start of the season. He has seven carries for 20 rushing yards and two receptions for 14 receiving yards.

With Elliott and Dowdle handling the rushing downs and Dowdle and Luepke doing most of the work in the passing game, Vaughn was the underdog.