It has been an eventful day for the Dallas Cowboys to say the least. All of the good vibes stemming from the clever Jack Sanborn signing were vaporized when they traded for former first-round busts Kenneth Murray Jr. and Kaiir Elam.

While Murray and Elam provided needed depth to the linebacker and cornerback rooms, respectively, they are two of the most disappointing first-round picks in recent memory.

To make matters worse, the Cowboys on Wednesday said goodbye to one of the most underrated players in franchise history in DeMarcus Lawrence, who inked a juicy three-year $42 million deal with the Seahawks.

Lawrence was not the only Dallas free agent to find a new home. Breakout running back Rico Dowdle, a player many fans wanted back, has agreed to a one-year deal with the Panthers.

Cowboys’ Rico Dowdle era is officially over as breakout RB signs with Panthers

According to Joe Person of The Athletic, it’s a $3 million deal for Dowdle with incentives that could buoy it up to $6.25 million.

That is the same price Dallas signed Javonte Williams for. There is a strong case to be made that Dowdle is the better overall player than Williams, who has yet to rediscover his rookie form after tearing up his knee in 2022. Why didn’t the Cowboys just pay Dowdle?

At the end of the day, $3 million is great value for Dowdle.

It was widely expected Dowdle would have a hotter market after a breakout year in which he rushed for 1,076 yards on 4.6 yards per carry. While he was oft-injured early in his career he has stayed healthy the last two seasons. He’ll turn 27 in July but only has 331 carries of wear and tear.

The Panthers are also a confounding landing spot for Dowdle, who will have to fend of Chuba Hubbard for carries. Hubbard was one of five running backs who finished with a higher rushing success rate than Dowdle last season.

Carolina wisely signed Hubbard to a four-year, $33.2 million extension mid-season. The former fourth-round pick is making significantly more than Dowdle. Even if this becomes a committee, Hubbard will get the bulk of the touches.

It’s a hard one to reckon with from both perspectives. Dowdle didn’t get the significant role he (seemingly) desired and the Cowboys paid an arguably lesser running back for the same price.

Again we ask: why didn’t Jerry Jones just pay Dowdle?