{"id":31509,"date":"2025-03-08T08:15:39","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T08:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=31509"},"modified":"2025-03-08T08:15:39","modified_gmt":"2025-03-08T08:15:39","slug":"breaking-cowboys-predicted-to-replace-dowdle-with-21-td-rb-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=31509","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Cowboys Predicted to Replace Dowdle With 21-TD RB"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\" class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div class=\"h-responsive\">\n<figure class=\"h-responsive__inner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2191772040-e1741363286228.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2191772040-e1741363286228.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2191772040-e1741363286228.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/GettyImages-2191772040-e1741363286228.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Dallas Cowboys, Rico Dowdle, J.K. Dobbins\" width=\"780\" height=\"441\" data-dom-ready-time=\"184\" data-img-load-time=\"197\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"caption-credit\">Getty<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-post-image-caption-text\">Rico Dowdle rushing the football<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0enter the offseason with multiple needs. At the top of that list includes figuring out the running back position, an area the Cowboys truly struggled in last season. Having a lousy run game is due to many factors, but the reality is,\u00a0Rico Dowdle\u00a0wasn\u2019t a perfect option for the Cowboys.<\/p>\n<p>Dowdle is a free agent and there\u2019s a good chance he\u2019ll end up on a different team next season. For the Cowboys, replacing him won\u2019t be too difficult, but it\u2019ll come down to who they\u2019ll replace him with.<\/p>\n<p>There are a few under-the-radar backs on the market, including\u00a0J.K. Dobbins.<\/p>\n<p>Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report predicted the Cowboys would land him, citing the need for a running back with Dowdle on the free agency market.<\/p>\n<div id=\"id\/article\/slide\/5167044\/element\/3\" class=\"MuiBox-root css-6emr8c\">\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-bp_small__body__article__medium css-1vqr2el\">\u201cEven last year, Dobbins suffered an MCL sprain. Clearly, any potential suitor will be cautious due to the extensive medical record on the running back\u2019s lower body. Yet the 26-year-old proved to still be explosive last season, particularly early in the year. If his medicals check out and considering his age, the risk may be well worth it for a team in search of a running back upgrade.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"id\/article\/slide\/5167044\/element\/5\" class=\"MuiBox-root css-6emr8c\">\n<p class=\"MuiTypography-root MuiTypography-bp_small__body__article__medium css-1vqr2el\">\u201cThe Dallas Cowboys have just entered the chat. With Ezekiel Elliott gone (again) and Rico Dowdle set to test free agency, the Boys need a new lead back. Dobbins is the type of runner who can create a different dynamic in Brian Schottenheimer\u2019s offense while the team doubles-down by adding another back in the draft to improve upon last season\u2019s bottom-six ground game,\u201d\u00a0Sobleski wrote.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<h2>How Much Will Dobbins Land?<\/h2>\n<p>The Dallas Cowboys are in a decent position to add free agents, currently holding $54,088,936 in cap space, according to\u00a0Over The Cap.<\/p>\n<p>Dobbins wouldn\u2019t cost much of that, with him likely getting around $5 million AAV.<\/p>\n<p>In a recent prediction from Sports Illustrated\u2019s Matt Verderame, he had Dobbins landing a two-year, $10 million deal, a contract the Cowboys should be more than willing to give him.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">\u201cDobbins appeared to be on his way out of the NFL after tearing his ACL in 2021 and then rupturing his Achilles tendon in \u201923, playing a grand total of nine games between those three seasons.<\/p>\n<p class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1\">\u201cSigned by the Chargers on a no-risk deal this past offseason, Dobbins flourished with 905 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 4.6 yards per carry. It was a standout season for the Comeback Player of the Year candidate to help reestablish his value while helping lead the Chargers to the postseason,\u201d\u00a0Verderame wrote.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Cowboys Have to Be Smart<\/h2>\n<p>If there\u2019s one reason to be worried with Dobbins, it\u2019s his inability to stay healthy. The last thing the Dallas Cowboys want to deal with is an injury-riddled player.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a rightful concern, but if he came in at $5 to $7 million AAV, he\u2019d be worth the risk.<\/p>\n<p>Dobbins has only played in more than 13 games once in his career, which came in his rookie season.<\/p>\n<p>During the 2024 campaign, he played in 13 games, finishing with an impressive 905 yards and nine touchdowns, raising his career total to 21 touchdowns.<\/p>\n<p>If he\u2019s on the field, he\u2019s been great. If not, the Cowboys would have an issue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getty Rico Dowdle rushing the football The\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0enter the offseason with multiple needs. At the top of that list includes figuring out the running back position, an&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31561,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>BREAKING: Cowboys Predicted to Replace Dowdle With 21-TD RB - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=31509\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: Cowboys Predicted to Replace Dowdle With 21-TD RB - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Getty Rico Dowdle rushing the football The\u00a0Dallas Cowboys\u00a0enter the offseason with multiple needs. 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