Cowboys New RB Clement: What's His Role Behind Zeke?
FRISCO - Corey Clement is a running back by trade, as everybody around the NFC East should know, given that his signing this week with the Dallas Cowboys means he will have suited up for three of the four teams in the division.
But Clement's ability as a runner here really isn't the story, even though in his first two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, starting in 2017, he gained 895 total yards from scrimmage ... and even though this past summer he served as the New York Giants' leading rusher during their NFL preseason campaign.
No, this isn't about him getting carries behind two-time rushing champ Ezekiel Elliott, or behind Elliott"s electric sidekick Tony Pollard.
This is about special teams.
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Injuries to Dallas' depth in the running back room this summer are really blows to the special-teams unit. So in comes Clement, 26, who at 5-10 and 220 pounds, again, has a few skins on the wall as a rusher. In fact, he comes from a long line of University of Wisconsin standout backs of recent vintage, having played as a freshman when James White and Melvin Gordon being ahead of him and Jonathan Taylor coming behind him ... and yes, all are NFL guys now.
But in his last two Eagles seasons, he had only 100 yards from scrimmage. Why? In part because of the special-teams focus, which is how he made the Eagles roster as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2017.
Oh, and all he did that year in Philly was help them win a Super Bowl.
That is the ultimate goal here, too, of course. But first comes his acclimation into the system at The Star. And somewhere along the line, assuming he sticks, will come his indoctrination into the Cowboys offense.
But first up?
Clement isn't here to compete with Tony Pollard for reps behind Ezekiel Elliott. He's here to beef up Bones Fassel's special teams.
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