GettyCowboys trade candidate Elijah Mitchell

Did we really need a reminder that the Cowboys’ running back room—the committee, as they’re labeling it—is decidedly weak? Probably not. But ESPN was there to remind us on Wednesday of just how little they think of the group by pointing out the situation must be dire when team execs are hyping up the Royce Freeman signing. A Cowboys trade may be in order.

It’s a fair point. Cowboys executive Stephen Jones did express his excitement for the Freeman Show in Dallas, and considering he was still a 28-year-old free agent when Dallas finally signed him in mid-April, we can take that as a condemnation of the group as a whole.  Especially because Freeman is likely to be No. 2 on the depth chart.

“Dallas’ running back room consists of veteran journeyman Freeman, a 29-year-old Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn and some other contenders. As much as running backs have correctly become devalued, those players probably aren’t good enough right now to lead a backfield for a Cowboys team with Super Bowl aspirations,” Seth Walder of ESPN Analytics wrote.

But give Walder the four-letter network some credit. They did offer a solution: A Cowboys trade for 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell.

Cowboys Trade Sends Out 2 Late Picks

In an article titled, “NFL preseason trade matches: Which teams could make a deal?” Walder writes that the 49ers like the depth in their running-back room, and could be ready to move the oft-injured Mitchell out of the No. 2 spot in favor of Jordan Mason, who has been taking first-team reps with the team. That smells of an opportunity for the Cowboys.

Here’s the deal Walder proposes:

“Cowboys receive: RB Elijah Mitchell, 2025 sixth-round pick
“49ers receive: 2025 fifth-round pick, 2026 sixth-round pick”

It would not be much for the Cowboys to cough up, which makes sense given Mitchell’s injury history. But it would be a low-risk gamble that Mitchell, if he was, indeed, healthy, could take the reins as the Cowboys’ No. 1 back.

Mitchell was a sixth-round pick of the 49ers in 2021, racking up 937 yards rushing and 163 yards as a receiver in 11 games as a rookie, including 10 starts. His 1,100 yards from scrimmage were second on the team, behind only Deebo Samuel, but he missed time with injuries to his chest, hand and shoulder, plus a concussion.

Mitchell has also had persistent hamstring and knee problems that have made him unreliable, too. He played five games in 2022, and 11 last season.

Elijah Mitchell Could Be the No. 1 Back

Walder, though, calls a Cowboys trade for Mitchell a potential “answer” for the moribund running back situation.

Remember, the Patriots let Elliott walk in free agency with little resistance after he ran for 642 yards last season, just 3.5 yards per carry. Freeman averaged 4.1 yards in a limited role with the Rams, making just 77 carries on the season. Dowdle has just 385 yards on 96 carries in his NFL career.

There isn’t much upside in this group. Mitchell has the speed and talent to change that, if healthy.

“Mitchell would have a good argument to be the Cowboys’ best running back,” Walder wrote. “He has averaged 0.4 yards over expectation per carry in his career, per NFL Next Gen Stats. While not an overwhelming figure, it is much better than what we can expect from Elliott, who has had negative RYOE per carry in each of the past three seasons. Dowdle’s RYOE per carry was slightly negative last season, too.”