Six biggest storylines heading into Cowboys training camp

David Helman

Dallas Cowboys Insider

Ready or not, it’s time to strap in once again.

It’s been a uniquely painful offseason for the Dallas Cowboys. Even a full six months later, last year’s playoff meltdown looms large in the psyche of one of the NFL’s most tortured fan bases.

That pain would take a while to heal on its own, but it’s not as if the organization has helped much. Starting with Jerry Jones’ ill-fated “all-in” comments, extending to an especially lackluster free agency period and moving right along into three high-profile contract negotiations, it’s been one frustration after another at The Star. It’s enough that you’d be forgiven for losing track of it all.

That’s where we come in. As the Cowboys prepare to touch down in California for another training camp on the West Coast, here are the six biggest storylines awaiting them.

6. Who totes the rock?

It’ll be a fun nostalgia trip to have Ezekiel Elliott back in a Cowboys uniform, and it’ll be cool to see him rock the No. 15 from his Ohio State years.

Beyond that, it’s hard to get excited about this Dallas running backs room. It doesn’t feel like a stretch to say the Cowboys are the thinnest at the position in the entire league after losing Tony Pollard in free agency. Elliott was serviceable for a bad New England team in 2023, but he’s not the bell cow he was from 2016 to 2021. Rico Dowdle had some fun flashes in 2023, but he has 117 career touches in four years. Similarly, veteran Royce Freeman is averaging just 52 carries per year in the same time frame.

The next month is going to be telling for this group. There’s no need to find a bona fide starter, but the goal should be to find a rotation that works. Who gets the most touches? Who’s the best third down back? Who has the most big-play ability? Is there a role for scat back Deuce Vaughn or fullback Hunter Luepke?

Keep an eye on how the touches are divvied up in the preseason. And depending on how it all…

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Publish date : 2024-07-23 16:06:18

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