‘He runs angry,’ but Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle happy to finally have opportunity to shine

Fumbling the ball on the 1-yard-line generally doesn’t bode well for undrafted free agents looking to latch onto a roster spot after three full seasons of making almost no impact on the field.

So Rico Dowdle understood the significance of getting the preseason start at running back this past weekend in Seattle.

“This was the biggest opportunity for me since I’ve been here, four years,” Dowdle told reporters after Saturday’s game. “I was very anxious and ready to get going, for sure.”

Despite the team’s loss on Saturday and his own costly miscue the week prior, the South Carolina product appears to be leading the race to be Tony Pollard’s primary backup in 2023.

Against the Seahawks, Dowdle led the Cowboys in rushing with 38 yards on eight carries. He also added 2 catches (on three targets) for just nine yards, but he walked one of those receptions into the end zone for the offense’s first points of the night.

“I think I made the most of the opportunities that I got,” the 5-foot-11 back explained. “But there’s always room for improvement. Another week to go.”

How much action Dowdle sees versus Las Vegas in the Cowboys’ preseason finale remains to be seen. Head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters on Monday that Ronald Jones will begin the week of practice with the rehab group and will be “challenged” to be ready to go against the Raiders. Malik Davis and rookie Hunter Luepke are also in the mix and fighting to make the 53-man roster.

First-year sensation Deuce Vaughn is also expected to get more reps, though his spot on the team is seemingly secure.

The point is, it’s a crowded running backs room, and one of the biggest questions around The Star this offseason has been about the team’s RB2 slot behind Pollard, as he returns from a nasty leg injury and will step into the workhorse role for the first time.

Dowdle, for one, loves the battle royale.

“Competition makes everyone better,” he said. “Very competitive in there, a group of six running backs that all can play. I think iron sharpens iron, so we’re all getting better from it.”

Dowdle has been biding his time, waiting for this moment. Injuries have been a major part of his backstory to now, with an ankle injury limiting him to just five games last year and a fractured hip stealing away his 2021 season. With just seven touches as a rookie, he’s relied mainly on special teams play thus far as a way to keep his locker behind Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott.

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McCarthy, though, has been a fan ever since they both came to Dallas in 2020.

“I’ve been impressed with Rico since my first year,” the coach said Monday, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. “I love his running style. He runs angry.”

And now with Elliott gone, there’s extra work to be had for a Cowboys back that can handle that angry goal-line work and also block effectively in pass protection.

Of that part of his game, McCarthy told media members of Dowdle, “He pass protects with a lot of urgency. He sticks his nose in there.”

The coach then added, “I think we’re just seeing Rico finally healthy.”

The best ability, they say, is availability. But now that he’s here, Dowdle is using this moment to show he’s got plenty of the other kind, too.

Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire