The days of the Dallas Cowboys having a dominant rushing offense became a distant memory last season.
Led by former undrafted free agent running back Rico Dowdle, the Cowboys finished with the sixth-fewest rushing yards in the National Football League.
They also had the NFL’s fewest rushing touchdowns, reaching pay dirt just six times. While Dak Prescott’s season-ending injury played a big factor, Dallas’ failure to consistently move the chains on the ground was a significant reason why the Cowboys’ offense ranked just 21st in scoring for this past regular season year.
One way they could become more efficient is by injecting more talent into the offensive backfield, and Niner Noise’s Peter Panacy has a potential solution. Panacy suggests the Cowboys should consider signing pending free agent Jordan Mason away from the San Francisco 49ers.
“The Dallas Cowboys’ reunification experiment with running back Ezekiel Elliott didn’t pan out as hoped, and fellow rusher Rico Dowdle is poised to hit free agency, too,” wrote Panacy. “All told, Dallas averaged a mere 4.0 yards per carry on the ground, good for third worst in the NFL last season, meaning owner and general manager Jerry Jones is going to put a priority on running back this offseason. He’ll likely look for cheaper options, too, meaning an under-the-radar candidate like Mason could fit the bill.”
Like Dowdle, Mason is a former undrafted free agent who enjoyed a breakout season in 2024. He became a household name, especially among fantasy football players, after Christian McCaffrey missed 13 games due to injury; Mason tallied a career-high 789 rushing yards while averaging an impressive 5.2 YPC as the 49ers’ McCaffrey replacement.
On paper, those numbers would be an improvement over Dowdle, who outran Mason, gaining 1,079 yards, but picked up fewer yards per attempt, at 4.6 YPC. Whether he could have the same success in Dallas remains to be seen, but with McCaffrey returning from injury in 2025, Mason would presumably get more opportunities to shine in Dallas.
