The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, and while teams are still doing their final bit of work on signing players from the undrafted free agent pool, the Cowboys have just about wrapped up the most significant player-acquisition event of their offseason.
That has led to quite the outrage from segments of the fan base over the team’s decision not to use a draft pick on the running back position despite having a perceived need there. While they did add a running back in undrafted free agency on Sunday morning, in the form of Missouri’s Nate Peat, fans were likely expecting a bigger investment after some buzz around big names like Jonathon Brooks or Trey Benson.
Yet, as the draft raged on, Cowboys insiders began to talk more and more about the likelihood of a reunion with Ezekiel Elliott in Dallas. Now, with the draft officially over, that seems like an inevitability, bringing Elliott back after one year in New England to form a competition with Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, Royce Freeman, Malik Davis, Hunter Luepke, Snoop Conner, and Peat.
This lineup isn’t going to move the needle for most, but the Cowboys have actually handled this position perfectly. For starters, any big name the team could have added at running back in this draft would have been either a big reach or required the Cowboys to trade up, which is almost always a bad idea when doing so for a non-quarterback. Consider:
Jonathon Brooks was drafted 46th overall, 10 picks before Dallas was on the clock and 17 picks after their previous pick
Trey Benson was drafted 66th overall, seven picks before their next pick and 10 picks after their previous pick
13 running backs were drafted between the Cowboys’ final pick on Day 2 and their first pick on Day 3, including Isaiah Davis being drafted immediately before their fifth-round pick
Simply put, the draft board didn’t fall in a way that made sense for the Cowboys to take a running back. Benson fans will argue he could have been taken instead of Marshawn Kneeland, but that would have been a reach relative to the average draft projection for Benson. The same goes for any running back the Cowboys might have taken in the third round instead of Marist Luifau.
