Cowboys' Rico Dowdle is early favorite to be RB1 but significant problem calls for an upgrade

The Dallas Cowboys re-signed Rico Dowdle on Monday, his agency announced. 

The move serves as a much-needed band-aid at a position of need for the Cowboys, with Dowdle immediately becoming the most experienced back on the roster with 36 NFL games under his belt. 

The news comes after a career-high 89 attempts and 361 rushing yards and sets up Dowdle for a temporary promotion on the depth chart.

Could Dowdle become RB1?

The answer is yes, he's got a shot. I'm convinced that if the Cowboys were to line up and play a football game today, Dowdle would be the starter over Malik Davis and Deuce Vaughn.

Keep in mind, Dowdle's play has turned him into one of Mike McCarthy's favorite players based on his own comments. During last year's OTAs, he told reporters to not forget about Rico and later on in training camp doubled down by claiming he was "loving" how the young player was looking.

Such feelings were reinforced by McCarthy's in-season actions, making Dowdle RB2 behind Tony Pollard. 

Now granted, Dowdle will have to fight for the role as the Cowboys will likely look into upgrading at the position through the NFL Draft, where a run at running backs is expected in Day 2. 

Even if Dowdle does win the RB1 gig though, expect the role to look significantly different than it has in previous years. The Cowboys will likely approach the position with more of a committee style in 2024.

Dowdle's big problem is evident, though

Dowdle has been pretty solid when he's taken the field. In 2023, he averaged 4.1 yards per attempt and 8.5 yards per catch. 

He finished the season with a slightly higher yards after contact per attempt than Pollard and had seven rushes of 10+ yards, per PFF. That's a 7.9% explosive rush rate compared to Pollard's 8.2%.

However, Dowdle's concerning problem will be availability. Since arriving to the league in 2020, Dowdle has missed significant playing time to hip, knee, and ankle injuries. Can he be durable as a RB1? 

That's the biggest reason why the Cowboys should keep looking to upgrade at the position. It's not easy to go into an NFL season with your top running back's biggest concern being staying healthy.