Dallas Cowboys helmet Dallas Cowboys helmet (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Dallas Cowboys running back room is getting quite crowded just days before the start of the NFL Draft.

With the NFL Draft looming, Jerry Jones and the rest of the Dallas Cowboys front office have gone and added another running back to a room that already includes Dowdle, Vaughn, Malik Davis, and Snoop Conner.

On Tuesday, the team signed veteran running back Royce Freeman.

Last season, Freeman finished the 2023 regular season with 77 rushes for 319 yards and two touchdowns, adding one catch for 13 yards as a member of the Los Angeles Rams.

Freeman spent much of the year relegated as a deep reserve option in the backfield behind Kyren Williams, Ronnie Rivers, and, at one point, Darrell Henderson, but with how the running back room looks with the Dallas Cowboys, his experience likely has him as the number one option right now.

 

The Dallas Cowboys Are Still Expected to Draft A Running Back In The First Round

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson at draft (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
The Cowboys have one first-round pick and seven selections overall in the draft.

The last time Dallas took a running back in the first round was 2016, when they took Ezekiel Elliott with the No. 5 overall pick. It worked out pretty well until they decided to pay him a ton of money.

Fast forward to 2024, and it appears the team will be doing so once again.

In ESPN’s latest 2024 NFL Mock Draft, featuring Field Yates and Mel Kiper Jr., Yates projects the Cowboys will select Texas running back Jonathon Brooks, but in the second round.

“Jerry Jones is unafraid to be bold in the second round,” Yates writes. “And Dallas badly needs a running back. Brooks suffered a torn ACL in November, but he was trending toward top-40 status before that. He can ball, rushing for 1,139 yards last season.”

The Cowboys must draft an instant starter at running back to replace Pollard.