Why Royce Freeman could be a dark horse candidate to lead Cowboys running game

When the Denver Broncos selected Royce Freeman in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, expectations were high. He left Oregon as the Duck’s all-time leading rusher and many thought he would immediately be one of the more productive runners in the NFL. If you played fantasy football back then, you probably remember how highly he was valued without ever playing a down.

But things did not go according to plan. His rookie season was rather blah and he found himself in a committee with another rookie, undrafted free agent Phillip Lindsey. Freeman suffered an ankle injury midway through the season and when he returned Lindsey had taken his job. He spent three underwhelming seasons with the Broncos splitting time with Lindsey, then Melvin Gordon before being released in 2021 after the team drafted new rookie running back Javonte Williams.

Freeman quickly found work as he was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers the very next day. He saw very little action behind running back Christian McCaffrey before being released midseason. Again he was claimed, this time by the Houston Texans, where again, he did very little. The Texans had a slew of running backs that year consisting of David Johnson, Mark Ingram, and that Phillip Lindsey fella again. Freeman returned to Houston the following year but just hung out on the practice squad until the last four games of the season.

Last year, Freeman joined a Los Angeles Rams team that had Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson, and Kyren Williams. But when Akers was traded away, Henderson was cut, and Williams suffered an injury, suddenly the door of opportunity swung wide open and Freeman played in 14 games and ran the ball 77 times, the most touches he’s had since 2019.

Freeman joins the Cowboys where there is no clear lead running back. He’ll compete with Ezekiel Elliott, who has returned after spending a year in New England, and Rico Dowdle, an UDFA who is coming off the first healthy season of his career. Here is how the three of them performed last year.

Ezekiel Elliott: 184 carries, 643 yards, 3.5 ypc, success rate = 45.1% Rico Dowdle: 89 carries, 361 yards, 4.1 ypc, success rate = 47.2% Royce Freeman: 77 carries, 319 yards, 4.1 ypc, success rate = 51.9%

When you look at this group of motley runners, there is nothing about it that makes fans excited. The addition of Freeman doesn’t do much to move the needle. It’s perfectly understandable to not expect anything to change for him after six years of disappointment. At the same time, is there any chance this might work?

The Cowboys’ new free agent running back is an interesting option. Let’s be clear, there is nothing special about his skill set. He’s not a shifty runner, he doesn’t have great breakaway speed, and he’s never been a power back despite possessing a muscular frame. But here’s what he can do.

Freeman is very good at locating the running lanes and accelerates fast. He’s not going to escape with jump cuts and blaze into the open fields, but he has the vision and footwork to sneak past the first level. His ability to see the blocks develop and then throttle up allows him to make the most out of what’s given. His 51.9% success rate ranked 13th in the league last year for all running backs with at least 50 carries.

For the last few years, Freeman has been stuck on teams loaded with running back depth that features players with more talent. No offense to Zeke, but the Cowboys don’t have a strong talent at the top, and no offense to Dowdle, Malik Davis, or Deuce Vaughn, but the depth leaves something to be desired.

Freeman has a real chance on this team because there isn’t much standing in his way. Despite being the same age when they signed with Dallas, Elliott has more than four times the career touches that Freeman has. Not only is Freeman fresher than Zeke, but he’s more durable than Dowdle. Dowdle has missed 32 games to injury over his first four years compared to just two (his rookie season) for Freeman over six seasons. Freeman can also contribute on special teams.

Zeke may be first in line for the lead-back role and Dowdle might be lurking in the back, but both of those guys have things working against them and it could open the door for a running back to have one final shot to deliver.