Dallas Cowboys RB Battle HEATS UP | Which Veteran RB Will Grab Starting Job?

Dallas Cowboys RB Battle HEATS UP | Which Veteran RB Will Grab Starting Job?

it’s Javvante Williams against Miles Sanders for the Cowboys RB1 job we will tell you who will win the job next you are Locked On Cowboys your daily Dallas Cowboys podcast part of the Locked On podcast network your team every day welcome back to the Locked On Cowboys podcast part of the Locked On Podcast Network your team every day we’d like to thank you for making us your first listen of the day today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel right now new customers can get $150 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins welcome back i am your host Marcus Moer you can follow me on Twitter Marcus Moer joining me today as always is Landon Mcool you can follow him on Twitter mccobcb and on today’s show we’re continuing with our training camp preview looking at the running back position atlanta I have to say of all the positions on the roster this is the one that probably feels the most up for grabs unstable uh whatever word you want to use incomplete yeah in Yes yes incomplete that’s the right word but let’s start with the veterans miles Sanders Javvante Williams of these two which one do you think is the more likely of the two to win the the starting job the week one job you know I I think if you would have asked me this when they first signed or maybe like before the draft or something like that I think I probably would have said Javante Williams great um I think you know just based on the reports we’re hearing it does sound like Miles Sanders has got a little bit of pep in his step and has shown out a little bit in in as much as you can in mini camp um so I I I really do think it’s like a roll of the dice at this point uh so I’ll I’ll say Miles Sanders at this point just because I feel like it’s a horse race and he’s ahead right now but you know if we get into camp and once the pads come on and that’s where I assume that Javvante Williams would probably look a little bit better than Miles Sanders once we’re actually trying to take bodies down uh you know it’s certainly possible that he could you know re retake that spot i I think it depends on what the Cowboys want from their quote unquote lead running back do you want the between the tackle grinder who’s get gets what’s blocked and can move a pile a little bit or do you want somebody who’s a little bit more high variance like my Sanders where I don’t think he’s the type of guy that’s going to be awesome between the tackles but I do think he’s the one that can give you the 10 to 12 to 15 yard runs but is it worth you know maybe having some more negative runs i don’t know i I’m I’m not sure what the Cowboys want here but I do think who they pick between these two running backs will tell us a lot about how they view running the football yeah and and it could be at the end of the day that that maybe they decide to go game plan specific for some of these situations right it could be that it’s a true sharing situation and and week to week they set out a game plan based on that player style and what they’re who they’re facing and and seeing how that plays out but yeah I mean I think the way where we are right now like it’s not even just that the the running back position is incomplete it’s like we haven’t gotten in all the grades yet you know it’s like that’s that’s where we are is that you know they still haven’t had their final exam you know because without pads on and without running behind an offensive line uh it’s it’s really kind of fruitless to kind of put in pins for sure uh uh who’s going to be the running back one of this team uh you know until we get eyes behind an offensive line we also just don’t even know what style or type of running back they want you look at this roster and we’ll get to Jaden Blue and Phil Mafa and some of the other names and Deuce Vaughn like every running back is completely different from one another which again I think is good like that you have some variety but I think it just leaves everything so open-ended that we just have no idea what the running back you know what the backfield might look like in week one let alone like week 10 week 12 once we get into the meat of the season yeah i mean I think you know the one of the biggest stories of this season is that the fact that the Cowboys are changing their run scheme you know in a probably the most major way that they have in in years so I I think even if the the Cowboys were kind of continuing on in in sort of the the kind of percentages of run scheme that we were used to the last I mean really six seven years like a long time uh I think it would be hard to predict who the starting running back is but but you add in the fact that Clayton Adams is coming in and and that they they’re going to be changing the percentage of what they’re doing and and really it’s going to be a different kind of style of running game that just adds to the uncertainty of trying to name a starter at this point so I’m going to ask you two questions the first one is who do you want to win this running back battle of these two i think the answer would obviously would be Jaden Blue if he’s you know but they’re not it’s not going to be Jaden Blue it’s probably going to be one of the veterans of these two guys which one do you want to be the RB1 i think I want it to be Williams because I just I can envision a situation in which there’s actually still some upside left with Javvante Williams right he had a nasty knee injury you know two years ago he’s start he’s just saying that he’s just now starting to feel comfortable after it you know and getting some of that explosion back i think if you there was somehow a way to get a you know 90% version 95% version of what we saw of that of this guy when he was a rookie which is you know not that long ago i think that that combined with what you’ve got in blue would be a really great combination really good you know complimentary combo i think with Sanders it’s you know he’s a little bit older he’s been in the league i mean he’s not old old but because he came into the league so young but he’s he’s been around for a little bit he’s got a lot more touches um I I think you know I’m hoping for a better floor from Sanders just because I I you know I think that’s kind of where he is in his career uh but I think Williams is probably the answer because I could squint and see some upside there that you know you could still squeeze out of him that I don’t think you’re gonna get out of Sanders yeah Williams just turned 25 in April and I agree with you i think that’s the guy that I want to win the job because I just think he’s more of a complete back and if he can get some of that athleticism that we saw at North Carolina and Denver back you you are getting a guy that can do a lot of damage between the tackles think he a healthy Javvante Williams could give you what Rico Dael did in the second half of last year yeah absolutely and I think that that’s kind of what they’re hoping for is is a uh you know something close to what a Dao level performance and then a guy that can add a level of of dynamic play as a receiver as a as a running back i mean I think they’re trying to recreate that you know Zeke Pard situation that they had a couple years ago so I think it would make sense if Williams served in that kind of more Zeke role and and Blue served in that more polar role who do you think is going to win the running back job yeah I don’t know i mean honestly like I I I really did think that it’s Williams still I I I you know I think I put Sanders as as running back one just a second ago because I feel like he’s ahead but I I do have some belief in the idea that Williams is still only 25 years old and and was coming off of a major knee injury and and you know even though he wasn’t an efficient running back last year they still used him a ton you know I think he had something like 65 receptions last year or more than that and he’s a good pass blocker right i just think he the floor is pretty high with Javvante even if even if he’s not healthier than he was last year yeah and I I just think that you’re there there’s a there’s a more outcomes in which Williams comes in and surprises us with his play I think than there are for my Sanders coming in and surprising us in a positive way with his play and and again we’ve been saying this all off seasonason that Miles Sanders should look really good in offseason workouts when there’s no pads and you can’t get tackled right javvante is going to look better once you get to training camp i mean they don’t do a lot of tackling in training camp but maybe that’ll change but once the pads come on I think that’s when he’ll shine uh but that’ll be fascinating to see how these two veteran running backs uh do out in Oxnar all right let’s talk about the rookie running backs because the Cowboys drafted two on day two uh three of the NFL draft jaden Blue and Phil Mafa what roles can we expect from them as rookies we will get to that next this episode is brought to you by FanDuel summer sports are in full swing and whether you’re all about baseball under the lights golf on the green you guys know how much I love golf or high stakes soccer action FanDuel is the best way to make every game more exciting you’re already following the action why not just make it a little bit more thrilling with FanDuel you can get in on the game while your friends are getting sunburned at the beach i love FanDuel i use it all the time even today I was looking at up some of the awards uh for the NFL season i was looking at some of the stat leaders and projections uh plus the app keeps it fresh with new daily promotions and fun ways to bet and if you’re new to FanDuel new customers can bet just $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if your first first bet wins open the FanDuel app today or visit fanduel.com/loton to get started welcome back to the Lot Done Cowboys podcast we’d like to thank you for making us your first listen of the day we are breaking down the Cowboys running back situation going into training camp let’s talk about the two rookies jaden Blue from Texas Phil Mafa from Clemson i think Blue is probably the only running back on this team that’s guaranteed to be on the 53man roster what do you envision his role being as a rookie yeah I mean I think he’s gonna they’re gonna kind of play him in this sort of dynamic you know playmaker sort of role where they they you know obviously use him as a running back i mean again the pard role is is a good kind of definition right it’s uh you’re going to get some inside runs but they’re definitely going to use you as an outside runner and as a receiver right i think that’s the area where Blue kind of separates himself from a lot of these other recebacks coming out of college is he’s got incredible receiving skills uh he’s he’s worked on it really hard and he’s dynamic out of the back field with the ball in his hands he can make people miss in open space um so I I think he’s a guy that they are going to force targets to because they want to give him the ball and opportunities to have the ball in space in order to create plays anything beyond that I think is going to be you know hingent on exactly what you see from him out of training camp what can he do as a tackle breaker is he even capable of kind of taking on a more rounded role this early in his career i mean he is I mean what probably 195 pounds if we’re you know putting weights in his pocket um so I think that you have to be careful with your usage there certainly in the number of of touches and targets and that sort of thing but he’s a guy that you are definitely going to be planning to give the football to uh you know four five six times a game at least um to try to create and and and and give you some uh big plays in the run game uh if you’re not getting it from the other kind of running backs that they’re rotating he’s still a fifth round pick and I know this running back class was one of the best ever one of the deepest we’ve ever seen so he’s not your you know every year fifth round running back but it’s still a day three pick and it’s not very often that these day three running backs come in and get 250 touches now it does happen but I look at someone like Tony Pard as a rookie coming out of Memphis 86 carries 15 receptions blue is going to have more receptions but does he get to 100 total touches this year Landon i think that’s a good number you know the 100 I think that’s that’s a good number to kind of to shoot for i don’t know if he does quite make it all the way up to 100 touches but I think that that’s kind of what you’re looking at right um and and I I agree i I think I would probably push a little bit more of those touch percentages to the receiving side compared to what Pollard did his rookie year um I think that you know they’re going to try to find ways to get him the ball they know that they need a dynamic playmaker out of the back field i don’t know that any of these other guys kind of fit that bill maybe you know maybe they’re they’re squinting their eyes really squinting their eyes and looking down at Deuce Vaughn to kind of Well listen he’s hard to find that’s part of the reason he’s so uh so be so dynamic potentially so and I do think that he’s worth mentioning here because I you know normally I I think it’s a situation where you and I have commented it just didn’t look like it’s working for Dawn it just didn’t look like you know he had the juice and and it you know the kind of threshold of speed and agility that you need in order to play football in the NFL at 58 you know whatever 100 pounds he is so uh I I think that that he would love that if we called him 5’8 oh yeah he’s like that yeah he’s grown some of that yeah i mean and I think you know the the difference is is that now he does actually have he he somehow got somebody to come in and be an advocate for him which is a very rare thing right like when your advocate usually gets fired your offense coordinator whoever drafted you you don’t normally get a new advocate coming into the building but here we are your former uh offensive coordinator is the offensive line coach and the run game coordinator so uh I think that there’s going to be a chance that he may get some uh more opportunities than we thought but yeah I I think mostly speaking the the role of the kind of more dynamic playmaking back that’s gonna fall on Jaden Blue until he’s proven that he can’t do it i’m open to all possibilities with Jaden Blue because I look at someone like Bucky Irving last year who was a I think he was a fourth round pick he came in at the combine 510 194 pounds was which is almost identical to what Jaden Blue is and Bucky Irving had over 200 carries 1100 rushing yards and eight touchdowns like he was awesome for Tampa Bay now it took him a little time to get going but once Tampa Bay just realized he’s our most explosive running back they didn’t mess around they just gave him the touches because it made their offense better so I could see that like maybe we get through the first month of the season after playing Philly in New York and you know maybe the pass rushes ease up a little bit and that’s when they unleash Jaden Blue but I also could see something playing out like what we saw from Tony Polar where you know he’s just a ways away he needs time to develop he you know he’s not somebody coming into the league with 600 career carries like he needs refinement again I know that sounds like such a copout answer but I’m open to a lot of different outcomes and scenarios here here’s another thing that I think is going to factor into all of this and I guess fantasy football people if you’re going to listen to me listen to this check out lock on Dynasty football every single day okay good okay good that’s fair do that but don’t draw me any more fantasy football conversation uh I think another thing that’s going to be a big part about his Blues usage or potential uses this year is how does Brian Shottenheimr view using running backs in the pass protection schemes because I think if the plan is that he likes to use running backs more in protection then it may take Blue a little bit of a time to kind of get on the field because that’s somewhere where he’s got to develop for sure but if the plan is to you know go back to a situation where you’re not relying so much on your running backs for pass protection maybe it’s more tight ends maybe it’s just more fiveman protections and just getting the ball out quicker but you know if you’re trying if you’re trying to move away from that and trying to move towards a situation where you’re putting your running backs out into route more often then that will will help expediate expediate expedite that’s the word I’m looking for expedite the the blue getting onto the field because I I think you don’t have to worry about this overly complicated difficult skill set that he may not have developed too much in college in order for him to get on the field yeah I saw Bucky Irving last year great example liam Cohen with Tampa Bay just didn’t ask him to pass protect a lot they just sent him out on routes or he was the checkown option had 47 receptions as a rookie i mean that’s a lot for a running back that’s already getting that big of a workload to the back field and I look at someone like Lance Dunar who I think I compared Jaden Blue to pre-draft but this is somebody or Dunar was a guy that would stay in for a second just to chip and then he would release into the flat or he would sit down right in the middle of the field and he actually became a pretty good asset that way just being the underneath receiver i I wouldn’t be surprised if Blue is used in a similar way on passing downs dunar was an incredibly valuable member of this team and basically was only a twominute receiving back yeah like I mean he only came in the game in the two-minute drives or or the the no huddle drives and was just a an underneath guy who gave you seven yards on an underneath pass as opposed to a three yards right so I definitely could see Blue kind of doing that early on and often just like as a guy who’s out there when they’re running no huddle dak loves to run no huddle and it’s just a guy that you know hey boom boom boom all covered dump off the blue hey blue maybe hey oh no blue made a guy miss now it’s a 15 yard run as opposed to a three- yard run like that’s the kind of thing they look and I could see the Cowboys using more like okay it’s a fiveman protection but Jake Ferguson is chipping at edge before he releases out same with Jaden Blue on the other side so it’s technically seven guys blocking but all five going into routes as receivers so we’ll see how the Cowboys plan to use Jaden Blue we should mention Phil Mafa i know he’s a seventh round pick he is not your traditional seventh round pick he was a super productive running back at Clemson averaged over five yards per carry in his career i just won’t be surprised if he beats out one of these veteran running backs for a spot on the roster yeah honestly we didn’t we didn’t leave Phil enough time to talk about it because I I I honestly have a lot of hope for Phil Hop Muffin think that again in a deep class was a late round pick one of these guys who just kind of got lost in the shuffle but I do have hopes that he can come in be a physical back who can you know break tackles who could be an excellent compliment to Blue down the road i don’t have any kind of concept yet on exactly what to expect from him this year like is he making the team is he a practice squad guy he is definitely one of the folks that where you’re going to learn the most about in training camp uh but definitely high expectations despite being a late round pick yeah he’s not gonna be Dererick Henry or like Garrett or sorry I was gonna say like Garrett Blunt is a comp for him he’s not going to be Leonard Fornette he’s not going to get you the 40 yard 50 yard runs but what he can do is be a hammer and give you the sixyard runs on third and two and just be the guy between the tackles that is so strong and so hard to bring down i like what I saw a lot from him in the first half of the season in 2024 there’s something there that I would like to see the Cowboys uh develop and give him opportunities to have an impact in the back field right away yeah I think he’s a guy that just because of his playing style um you know again the the deep class that kind of got him shuffled the fact that he kind of incurred some injuries in the middle of the season and start slowed down a little bit that he kind of may have just been lost in the shuffle a little bit but yeah you watch that early Clemson tape from 2024 i he’s he’s trucking dudes and it’s a major college football and so it’s not like you know this is some Coastal Carolina running back like this is a guy playing division one you know power five college football and doing so at a high level just kind of again because of just all the injuries and because of just the vast number of these guys uh it’s it’s easy to kind of overlook a talented player because they maybe didn’t have the optimal uh seat last year in college football uh that doesn’t mean that he can’t be a great professional all right let’s talk about the running backs who aren’t on the Cowboys roster could we see the Cowboys go out and make a move at the RB position some point before the season talk about that and more next welcome back to the Loton Cowboys podcast we’d like to thank you for making us your first listen of the day for your second listen check out the Loton NFL scouting show as training camps get closer and moves are being made host Kyle Krabs and Joe Marino will make you the most informed NFL fan this off season find lot on NFL scouting on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcast all right Lena let’s talk about the running backs not on the roster could we potentially see the Cowboys make a move either over the summer or before week one yeah for sure i mean look there certainly isn’t anything in this running back room that would prevent you from going out and getting a guy that you thought was a talent upgrade from what you have right i I I think and and we’ve talked about this ad nauseium right that the running back is positioned that you can find these guys kind of at any point during the year and maybe not the top five guys but that’s just every position but I mean the kind of player the average player on the street at the running back position is of higher quality than relative to his position than probably any other street free agent in the NFL right like you could plug in a street free agent running back and he would perform at just replacement level which is probably better than what you would get at wide receiver or tight end or offensive line you know any any one number one of these positions so I I think there there’s that right that always there’s just always stock available of of of some kind of running back and then on top of that because it’s training camp because we’re coming out of a draft class that was incredibly deep teams are also going to be figuring out their running back situations and and there may be too many of them on some of these teams that you know double dipped or you know just they like the guy that they drafted a lot and they already had somebody in as an insurance and and maybe they’d be willing to flip a low round pick for a guy that you feel like may be a clear upgrade on the the other veteran running backs you have so there are obviously several names that have been kind of kicked around due to the fact that people reading the tea leaves of like I just said the draft picks and the money and contract years that sort of thing so we’ll talk about some of those names but I think that even those names will change as we go through the summer we’ll start to hear more names we’ll start to hear “Hey this coach isn’t messing with this player or they’re looking to move this guy because this rookie is looking incredible.” So uh yeah I I I think you know I was just talking about this a little while ago with someone on a radio hit and it’s like the Cowboys are probably going to take both stance of wait and see what happens in training camp with their veterans but but but also keeping their eyes open and their heads on a swivel in case a opportunity pops up where they could clearly upgrade the position they’re not going to sign a Saquon Barkley or Derrick Henry in August like that’s not going to happen however I will say we we saw a team I’m going to give you an example from last year kareem Hunt in 2023 with the Browns averaged 3.0 yards per carry it looked completely done i mean done the Chiefs signed him to the active roster in Kansas City on September 24th after the season was already going on he ended up becoming their leading runner uh he ended up being number one in success rate among all running backs with at least 200 carries last year and he was a starting running back in the Super Bowl for the Kansas City Chiefs and he played a big role for the offense i think you can find players like that if your blocking is really good up front and you your quarterback is healthy guys that can come in and be successful and maybe they don’t add value to your offense but they’re getting what’s blocked and they’re doing their jobs those are the kind of guys that are going to be available in July August September and that’s why I’m not stressing out about that position that much the run game is going to be made or bro make or break by by what happens at the offensive line yeah like that that is what’s going to dictate whether this offense this run game is good or not and that’s been the way football’s been for 100 years right like it’s your offensive line and not the running back and that’s the analytical bet that the Cowboys are taking with their running back approach currently right and so the the idea is that the the the floor is set by the offensive line the ceiling is probably set by how much more the running back can give you once the but the truth is that the the blocking itself and the scheme that you use can also help the running back perform at a higher level than they used to so all of it is a formula that has to be kind of unveiled to us a little bit and that’s why I do think the Cowboys probably feel comfortable with where they are is like hey we’ve got answers that we still need to find out if we get the bad answers then we still have recourse we can still do uh if we if we need to go go out and get somebody and blue chip running backs become available like we see running backs traded every year was it two years ago that Christian McCaffrey got traded from the Panthers to the 49ers and kind of help them get to the Super Bowl right like sorry the AFC Championship got that game and then the next year the Super Bowl i’m not saying that one of those guys is going to become available but that is one position where teams are willing to give away guys if they’re not succeeding bree Hall Cooks these are these are names of guys that we’ve heard that are available potentially for some kind of trade i don’t know if it’s true but just an example these guys do become available kenneth Walker is another one that could we should mention as well absolutely uh all right that is it for today’s show we want to thank you for making Loton Cowboys your first listen every single day check out the channel on YouTube download the podcast wherever you get your podcast we are free and available on all platforms we are answering your Twitter questions tomorrow send them into us at mccoolbcbarcus_mmoer and we’ll see you right back here on Wednesday

The Javonte Williams vs. Miles Sanders showdown looms at training camp. Who will emerge as Dallas’ lead back? Marcus Mosher and Landon McCool break down the Dallas Cowboys’ evolving backfield situation.

The hosts analyze Javante Williams’ potential comeback from injury, Miles Sanders’ performance at minicamp, and how rookies Jaden Blue and Phil Mafa could impact the depth chart. Key discussions include the Cowboys’ evolving run scheme, potential free agent additions such as Kareem Hunt, and how the offensive line will ultimately impact the success of the ground game.

Don’t miss this in-depth look at the Cowboys’ running back competition and its fantasy football implications. Will Dallas make a surprise move before the season starts?

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