FA Running Backs

[StarBoyz83]

Wouldn't have mattered this season but they have looked really good. Barkley is way better than it bought he was. Dallas needs to nail the next 2 drafts and than possibly they could do something in the playoffs in the 2026 season.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

Zeke and Gordie Howe ,willie Mays, and Johnny Unitas do not belong in the same sentence.... not in the same state, same hemisphere.

I wrote what I wrote

 

[rambo2]

Do we consider taking Jeanty? Easy to say no but if he's there...

I think that they would. It will be interesting if he is on the board.

 

[KingCorcoran]

I crush old wrinkly senile Jerruh day in and day out....but on this ONE thing I can't fault him too much.

Over the years, the teams that sign older RBs usually end up with buyer's remorse. They have such a short shelf life, that once they show just a glimpse of decline, they usually fall off a cliff pretty fast.

Who in the world that Saquon, at his age, would bounce back and be on pace for 2300 rush yds or so, and league MVP? Not me. He legitimately could break the NFL rushing record, and looks like a 21 year old out there.

Henry doesn't look quite as springy, but that was never his game anyway....he just alpha-dogs everyone like he used to.

This season is unique IMO, so I hope we don't over-correct and start chasing old RBs in the future Besides, with our line, it really isn't money well spent

Barkley is 27 years old. His current contract expires when he’s still under 30. “at his age”? Deuce is much, much younger. He’s as useful as breasts on a fish.

 

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

Barkley is 27 years old. His current contract expires when he’s still under 30. “at his age”? Deuce is much, much younger. He’s as useful as breasts on a fish.

Go take a gander at the history ofb27 year old backs. 28 year old backs.

How was Zeke at Barkley's age? Most RBs peak in their 1st contract.

 

[DuncanIso]

Best part is that Zeke is a long standing Jerry guy. Sturm and others are reporting it is Jerry that made the decision that Zeke was good enough.

Big Mike hates Zeke.

 

[glimmerman]

Henry could have changed our season. Having a run game could have kept Dak from running around so much if we had some descent play action.

 

[Redline360]

Just look at Pollard.

His numbers don't stand out as anything ground breaking but most video breakdowns hosts have him as one of the more impressive runners this season. This behind one of the worst OLs and bottom five offenses(last time I checked) in football. He's been about the only bright spot for them

Then just look at some of the rubbing backs signed this past off season besides Barkley and Henry. Why is zeke still on this team...Jone's boys dropped the ball in epic fashion.

 

[Creeper]

Sure glad Jerry didn’t sign Saquon or Henry , FA running backs are washed up ! NOT you idiot they are leading every running back category! Another sign we don’t have a GM !

My thinking is Saquon's success in Philly, while he struggled in NY, is a sign to every GM in the league. The right answer is to build a competent OL to make whatever RBs you have more effective. Saquon and Henry could not have the success they are having if Dallas signed them. Sure they would be better than the garbage Dallas trots out there, but with the Cowboys blocking, they would get stuff at the LOS.

If we are going to rebuild, start focus on the OL and DL. Then draft a RB or two and let them run the open holes.

 

[shabazz]

Even Taysom Hill would be the most effective rusher on this team this season.....and it wouldn't be close

 

[Pokes12]

I really thought this year was just going to be a soft-reset. A wasted year. Let Dak play out the contract. Get some young guys some experience so they are better for next year. Eat the dead money from Dak next year, be horrible, then draft a rookie QB and start the journey over. And then we resigned Dak...and now I just have no idea what we are doing.

Here is what we are doing. We broke the bank for a QB who has as much a chance of taking this team to a playoff and winning a game in the NFL as he has a chance of being MVP in the NBA. We have no coach, no coaching staff and have wasted not one but 2 fourth round pick for a castaway QB that we don’t play and will lose at the end of the year and a WR who could not start for the Carolina Panthers. On top of which, his name sounds like a disease. He has him some Mingo. It is just in his left knee but it is traveling up his leg and will extend to the other. It will then be double Mingo. He is awful. One catch so far for 8 measly yards.
We have no scheme, either in offense or defense. We have a coach who has been in the league for decades that cannot manage his staff or the game clock. We have a senile, part-time general manager who has a son who is somehow part of the dysfunction but we cannot understand what he does or says because he is sooo dumb. We have a stadium that blinds our best receiver into dropping a sure touchdown because the part time GM won’t close curtains. For what reason? We have no idea.
We have a corporate fan base that does not understand or care to understand football. They sell their tickets to the traveling team’s fans to make a profit and turn a home game into an away game. We have more knowledgeable fans who live around the country and represent the team better than the ones in Dallas.
We are stuck paying a mediocre QB for the next four years. This QB is highly injury prone, gutless in the face if any playoff game and talks incessantly about needing to play better and protect the ball, never to do either. He is all talk and no walk. All bat and no cattle. All sizzle and no steak. But the part time GM loves him. He also loves Ezekiel Elliot who we let walk 3 years ago because he was done then but somehow became the answer to our running troubles this year. We pass in good to great free agents only to give draft capital for clowns who are obvious busts.
But we are “All In.”
All in means finding more and better ways to separate the fan’s money from the fan and transferring it to the part time GM albeit full time owner and his dim witted offspring. At least we think he is. We are only sure if Jethro gives a blood test to determine paternity but he only does that when sued.
Any questions?

 

[tomsanders921]

But Zeke is popular and sells jerseys.

But is he anymore? I feel like his only remaining fan is Jerry Jones himself

 

[AmericanCowboy]

Dowdle has been much better after he was allowed to take command of the backfield.

At this point I would be pissed if we took a running back with our first round pick when we have many other glaring holes, specifically at WR.

 

[Bagman]

Do we consider taking Jeanty? Easy to say no but if he's there...

Yes. If he's the best guy on the board, absolutely. We need help at a dozen spots, RB is one of them. Besides, I just really want him on my team.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Do we consider taking Jeanty? Easy to say no but if he's there...

At the right time, yes.

 

[John813]

I think RB salaries have finally corrected to a market equilibrium. If you look at the free agent RBs signed this offseason - Saquon, Henry, Jacobs, Aaron Jones, D'Andre Swift, Tony Pollard - I don't think any of those teams regret signing those deals at all.

With #1 WR AAV's in the 30's, 12-13mil for Barkley is a steal.
When Zeke signed his 2019 deal at 15mil AAV, the going rate for WR's was under 20mil.
OBJ signed a 18mil AAV deal in 18,
I believe Julio was 22mil AAV in 19?
Cooper was 20mil in 2020.

They used to be very close to one another for the top players. and then WRs took off and RBs took a dive.

Not to mention Barkley's deal counts for 3.8mil this year

 

[KingCorcoran]

Go take a gander at the history ofb27 year old backs. 28 year old backs.

How was Zeke at Barkley's age? Most RBs peak in their 1st contract.

Age 30, yards from scrimmage/touchdowns
Allen 871/13, played another 7 years
Thomas 1287/8, played another 4 years
Peterson 1707/11, played another 6 years
Faulk 1108/11, played another 2 years
Smith 1516/13, played another 5 years
Sanders 1780/4, did not play another year
Tomlinson 884/12, played another 2 years

Barkley is 27. He, like the guys listed above, is not “Most RBs”.

 

[CowboysLakerBamaFan]

Age 30, yards from scrimmage/touchdowns
Allen 871/13, played another 7 years
Thomas 1287/8, played another 4 years
Peterson 1707/11, played another 6 years
Faulk 1108/11, played another 2 years
Smith 1516/13, played another 5 years
Sanders 1780/4, did not play another year
Tomlinson 884/12, played another 2 years

Barkley is 27. He, like the guys listed above, is not “Most RBs”.

So, 7 HOFers over 30 years? Probably a couple thousand backs played in the NFL during that span.

So...we agree: history says most backs decline by Berkley's age

 

[KingCorcoran]

So, 7 HOFers over 30 years? Probably a couple thousand backs played in the NFL during that span.

So...we agree: history says most backs decline by Berkley's age

I only looked at running backs of comparable skills. History says most backs leave the NFL not because they’re too old, but because they’re not good to make a roster. Most don’t make it to age 27. Point is good running backs can continue to play well into their 30’s. Barkley, Jacobs, Mixon, Henry were all good acquisitions by the teams that signed them. The Cowboys should have considered them.

 

[EPL0c0]

Josh Jacobs is having a pretty good year too.

Aaron Jones is 8th in rushing with 798yds
Tony Pollard is 7th at 800yds.

That's 4 RBs Dallas could have targeted that have more rushing yards than Dowdle/Zeke/Vaughan/Cook COMBINED (726yds)

hey man... what happened to Dalvin Cook?!?!