RB Rico Dowdle staying in Dallas after agreeing to new deal with Cowboys

Dowdle played 16 games behind Tony Pollard last season, rushing for 361 yards and two touchdowns on 89 carries.

Running back Rico Dowdle is all in on another season in Dallas.

Dowdle’s agents announced on Monday that Dowdle has re-signed with the Cowboys. There’s no word on the terms of his new deal.

Dowdle was signed by the Cowboys after going undrafted in 2020 and he made the team as a third-string running back. He was limited to five games over the next two seasons because of injuries, but returned to serve as the No. 2 back behind Tony Pollard in 2023.

Dowdle ran 89 times for 361 yards and two touchdowns while catching 17 passes for 144 yards and two more scores.

Pollard signed with the Titans last week and the Cowboys have not added any outside backs to the roster, so Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn are now the top two on the depth chart.

The Cowboys’ running back room is a big concern waiting to be addressed after the departures of Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard in back-to-back years, exactly 365 days apart. Many fans thought the club might go after one of the many marquee running backs available in free agency, but the first wave of signings came and went with Dallas standing pat.

Some are still holding out hope for another team’s castoff to be inked to the roster this offseason. Many are instead expecting the Cowboys to look to the draft for a young ballcarrier to put in the backfield in 2024. But whoever the team adds, he’ll be paired with a returning veteran presence once he arrives at The Star.

Dallas is re-signing Rico Dowdle, according to word late Monday afternoon from his agent.

The 25-year-old has been with the Cowboys since 2020, when he joined as an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina. He saw 89 attempts last season, amassing 361 yards and a pair of touchdowns over 16 game appearances.

The former Gamecock has battled multiple injuries during his four pro seasons. After serving as a third-string option behind Elliott and Pollard as a rookie, Dowdle suffered a hip injury during the following preseason and missed the entire 2021 season. Then an ankle injury ended his 2022 campaign after just five games on special teams.

Last year proved to be a coming-out party of sorts for Dowdle, whose 4.1 yards-per-carry average was actually better than Pollard’s and Elliott’s 2023 numbers, albeit with far fewer rushing attempts.