Cowboys breakout star Rico Dowdle gets surprising NFL rank among starting RBs

Rico Dowdle had a breakout season with the Dallas Cowboys and received his flowers in the NFL rankings among the league's starting running backs.

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle runs with the ball during the game against the Washington Commanders. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2024 NFL season with several questions at running back. The team failed to make a splash in free agency or the NFL Draft, so they went into the year with a rapidly declining Ezekiel Elliott as the lead back.

That experiment failed and Elliott was released before the end of the season, while Rico Dowdle, who went undrafted in 2020, emerged as the team's starting running back.

As the season went on and Dowdle saw more consistent carries, he became a breakout star and finished the season with over 1,000 yards, becoming the first undrafted player in team history to surpass the 1,000-yard mark.

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Now, Dowdle is set to enter free agency and will be highly-sought after on the open market.

According to a ranking of the NFL's top running backs of the 2024 season, Dowdle received an impressive ranking inside of the top 20 at No. 19.

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle reacts after making a juggling catch for a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

"The Cowboys offense went on a roller coaster ride in 2024, with star players going in and out of the lineup due to injury," NFL.com writes.

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"Dowdle didn't surpass 90 rush yards in a game until Thanksgiving Day -- then emerged down the stretch, impressing with four 100-yard rushing performances over the Cowboys' final six games to help him wrap his first season as a starter with 1,000 rushing yards."

Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Dowdle finished the year averaging 4.6 yards per carry on 235 attempts for 1,079 yards and two touchdowns. He added 39 catches for 249 yards and three receiving touchdowns.

It will be interesting to see if Dallas attempts to re-sign Dowdle during the offseason or opts to let him walk, but whatever the case, it seems clear that Dowdle will be getting paid.

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