PHILADELPHIA – Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle made history in the loss over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, becoming the first undrafted free agent to rush for 1,000 yards in a season in team history.
Troy Hambrick held the previous franchise record for most rushing yards in a season by an undrafted free agent for the Cowboys with 972 in 2003. Dowdle is the 22nd undrafted player in NFL history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season.
“Definitely felt good, definitely a landmark I wanted to hit,” Dowdle said. “Wish it was a different outcome with the fumble, but definitely satisfying reaching that landmark.”
Going into his fifth NFL season, Dowdle has battled through numerous injuries but emerged as the lead back for the Cowboys in 2024. And while some players don’t necessarily pay attention to their stats or certain benchmarks, it’s clear that reaching 1,000 yards for the first time in his career means a lot to Dowdle.
“Oh yeah, for sure, I definitely think about it all the time,” Dowdle said on Thursday. “Definitely want to hit that mark, for sure.”
And now he has. Dowdle came into the game needing 103 yards, a number he surpassed in the fourth quarter on a 17-yard gain. He finished the game with 104 yards rushing on 23 carries in what was a bright spot during Dallas’ 41-7 loss on Sunday. Coming into the week, Dowdle said that the Cowboys felt good about the game, and that turnovers, including his fumble in the fourth quarter – were part of Dallas’ downfall.
“Very, very discouraging,” Dowdle said. “Coming into this game, we definitely didn’t think this would be the outcome. Definitely thought we had enough to go out there and win this game.
“But you can’t win games when you’re four to zero in the turnovers, and that hurt us a lot, including myself.”
Dowdle wasn’t the only running back to make history on Sunday, as Philadelphia’s Saquon Barkley became the ninth player in NFL history to reach 2,000 rushing yards in a single season. He is now 100 yards behind Eric Dickerson’s all-time single-season rushing record. In Dowdle’s mind, Barkley’s accomplishment is good for running backs around the league.
“He’s setting the standard right now and doing what he’s supposed to do, and he’s had a great season,” Dowdle said. “Think he’s probably around 60 something away from the record, so hope he can do that.
“That helps everybody out in the running-back world, so definitely a lot of appreciation with what he’s doing.”
Dowdle has rushed for over 100 yards in four of the Cowboys’ last five games, and will look to get another 100-yard rushing day in Dallas’ final game of the season against the Commanders next week.
