Earlier this year, Jordan Love’s Green Bay Packers surprised everyone when they eliminated the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card round. Part of the reason why they were bounced back then was having a subpar running back unit, which was ranked as the worst in the NFL ahead of the 2024 campaign.
The Dallas Cowboys matched their 12-5 record from the previous two years and won the NFC East division for the second time in three seasons. Despite finishing in a three-way tie for the best record in the NFC, the Cowboys clinched the number two seed due to tiebreakers.
This marked the Cowboys’ third straight playoff appearance, their longest such streak since the early 1990s. However, their postseason run was short-lived, as they were shockingly routed 48-32 by the seventh-seeded Packers in the Wild Card round. This collapse was especially disappointing given that the Cowboys had one of the league’s top offenses and defenses during the regular season.
The Wild Card round loss prevented the Cowboys from reaching the Conference Championship for the first time in three seasons, a feat no 12-win team had previously failed to achieve. It also meant the Cowboys were the only major professional sports franchise in the Dallas-Fort Worth area not to reach at least the penultimate round of the playoffs over the past year, with the Rangers, Mavericks, and Stars all enjoying deep playoff runs.
The 2023 campaign also marked the first season since 2015 without running back Ezekiel Elliott on the Cowboys’ roster, as he was released in the offseason.
Dallas Cowboys’ Running Back Group Named as the Worst Ahead of NFL 2024 Season
Judging from how Dallas’ running backs performed last season, they were far apart from most teams in the league. In an article posted on PFF, Trevor Sikkema detailed why the Cowboys are ranked last in that department.
“After letting Tony Pollard sign elsewhere in free agency, and missing out on the top backs in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Cowboys re-signed Ezekiel Elliott to be their lead rusher.
Elliott’s glory days came with the Cowboys, but his yards per carry average has dipped below 4.0 over the past two seasons, resulting in a career-low 69.2 PFF rushing grade in 2023. Behind him are Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn,” Sikkema wrote.
Last season, the Cowboys fielded a first-ranked offense in the league. At the same time, their defense was in fifth place out of 32 teams.
It remains to be seen how the Cowboys’ running backs will perform in the season ahead. Hopefully, the team can change the narrative when it comes to their RB group.
