3 Cowboys rookies who already look like starters in training camp

The Cowboys have plenty of talented veterans on their roster, but these three rookies have a chance to crack Mike McCarthy’s starting lineup. 

This season is another Super Bowl or bust season for the Cowboys. Owner/General Manager Jerry Jones always has sky-high expectations for his franchise. Veterans will need to play like All-Pros to get Dallas to the promised land, but some help from this year’s rookie class could go a long way toward powering this team to a deep playoff run.

The Cowboys didn’t enter the draft with a ton of capital to work with, but the franchise did make a clear effort to fill obvious holes on the roster. That caused some reaches in terms of talent level, but it also means several rookies have a great chance to be immediate starters due to the lack of established talent ahead of them on the depth chart.

The first player on this list didn’t hear his name called until Round 6 but is already turning heads at training camp.

3 Cowboys rookies who look like starters

3. Deuce Vaughn

Ezekiel Elliott’s departure leaves a hole at running back. Tony Pollard returning from a significant injury further opens the door for rookie Deuce Vaughn to stake his claim to a spot in the starting lineup.

Vaughn may not be able to dislodge Pollard if both guys enter the regular season at 100%, but he has a meaningful role to play as a rookie. His elusiveness in the open field (as highlighted in the clip below) gives him a chance to turn routine gains into big plays for an offense that needs more explosion.

The 5-foot-5 running back isn’t ever going to dominate a backfield in terms of volume, but that doesn’t mean he can’t emerge as a valuable starter for the Cowboys. Fans should not be shocked if he finds a way to start multiple games this year for Dallas.