Cowboys aren’t hiding their plans to replace Tony Pollard

Let's be totally honest with ourselves. The Dallas Cowboys cannot expect to contend for an NFC East crown if their running back room consists of solely Deuce Vaughn and Rico Dowdle. While there is nothing wrong with them being in the Dallas running back room, or making sizable impacts on the field this fall, they are not going to make up for the fact the Cowboys lost Tony Pollard in free agency.

A year after getting slapped with the franchise tag, Pollard signed with the Tennessee Titans. He played his college football at Memphis. With an opportunity to replace Derrick Henry playing in Brian Callahan's offense, I kind of dig it. But this post isn't about the Titans; it's about them Cowboys, baby! Who could they possibly bring in to replace the man who essentially replaced Ezekiel Elliott in 2022?

Well, Dallas has already met with Michigan running back Blake Corum. Now, they are expected to have two more high-quality running backs coming in for a visit. Trey Benson out of Florida State will make his way to Dallas, as well as a trio of former Texas stars, including Longhorns running back Jonathan Brooks. With this intel, we should look at the Cowboys taking a running back with a day-two selection.

Adding either Benson, Brooks or Corum may not solve all of their issues, but they can help the team.

Dallas Cowboys looking at three running backs to replace Tony Pollard

Of the three running backs linked to the Cowboys, I have watched Corum the most. While all three played at traditional powers, only one of them was part of three College Football Playoff teams. Brooks was part of the Texas team that won the Big 12 a year ago, while Benson was part of the ACC champion Florida State team that had more people opting out than high school seniors taking a final.

No matter who the Cowboys go with here, I trust their judgment. I would expect for Vaughn to be an even bigger part of the offense, now in his second season out of Kansas State. He may have a family member in the building, but I always like his talent playing for Chris Klieman over in Manhattan. However, he is not a bell-cow back by any means. That is why the right guy to pair with him is so critical.

Personal bias, I may like Corum the most, but he has suffered a major injury before, and who knows how much tread is on his tires? Benson and Brooks also have injury histories. The biggest difference is Benson got hurt when he played at Oregon, whereas Brooks tore his ACL in November playing TCU. Brooks may be a popular pick because of his college team, but I think Benson or Corum may fit better.

Either way, Dallas cannot come out of day two of the 2024 NFL Draft without drafting a running back.