Dallas Cowboys' Deuce Vaughn catches a punt during the first half of an NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants, Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, in Arlington, Texas. The Cowboys won 49-17.
LAS VEGAS — It was the best run of the night. Deuce Vaughn, finally healthy after missing nearly two weeks with a hamstring injury, showcased what he can do in the Dallas Cowboys' second preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Cowboys running back cut across the grain after a simple handoff to the left side before facing Raiders cornerback Jack Jones in the open field.
Vaughn put Jones on skates with a shake of his hips to get 12 yards. Beautiful. It was another example of how talented the Cowboys running back group is, and the difficulty in finalizing that position.
As it stands, Ezekiel Elliott has a secured roster spot. After that who knows? "The good thing is we don't have to make any decisions now," coach Mike McCarthy said after the Cowboys' 27-12 victory on Saturday night. "We do have a full week left.
...
We've got some tough decisions when we get down to the end". Vaughn, a 2023 sixth-round pick, led the running backs Saturday with 34 yards on five carries. Royce Freeman rushed seven times for 32 yards.
Snoop Conner had 15 yards on five carries and Malik Davis picked up 14 yards on five carries. Vaughn had the most snaps (16) among the running backs, but he had to sit a long time between carries. McCarthy is trying to get all the running backs into the game.
Freeman had 15 snaps, Davis 13 and Conner 11. Rico Dowdle was a healthy scratch Saturday night along with Elliott. Does it mean Elliott and Dowdle are on the 53-man roster? Are the Cowboys seeking just one or two more running backs? How does fullback Hunter Luepke play a part in this? Will a fourth tight end that's a good blocker push the Cowboys to keep three running backs with a fullback? There's also a special teams component connected here.
Elliott isn't playing special teams, but some other running back can. Vaughn was being crossed-trained to play some wide receiver early in training camp before a hamstring injury slowed his progress. With Vaughn out, Dowdle and Freeman emerged.
Freeman then suffered a groin injury, halting his progression. It opened the door for Davis and Conner. Vaughn kept watching and trying to be patient.
"It was really hard man, especially when it first happened," Vaughn said. "It was one of those things, as a football player and competitor, I'm going, 'I'm not going to tell nobody and try and go back out there.' But I knew that wasn't smart.
" Vaughn was told he had two choices: miss two weeks or play through the injury and potentially cost himself months. It might also damage his ability to make the 53. "For myself, it was taking it day by day," he said.
"As long as my hamstring was getting better every single day I knew I was doing something where I was going to get back to the field." The Cowboys have two more fully padded practices and a preseason game for the coaching staff to determine the running back room. The performances will say plenty about where the Cowboys go.
On Saturday night, Vaughn might have placed his name back in the mix. "A real competitive [room], a lot of guys, different age groups and different types of backs," Freeman said. "I think it's really a good, great competition [that] can only make us better.
At the same time, we all know it's a team. At the end of the day, encourage one another to do better to help the team.".
