Many Dallas Cowboys fans thought the season would tailspin after it was revealed Dak Prescott needed surgery on his hamstring. In the most unlikely of surprises, though, the Cowboys have won three of their last four games.

The fighting Mike McCarthy’s currently have a less-than 1% chance of making the playoffs, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. While the playoffs are a pipe dream, it is impressive that Dallas isn’t mathematically eliminated give they were 3-7 just one month ago.

Still, it is time to look ahead to 2025. Several players on the roster, most of whom are free agents, have made a strong case to sign new contracts. Osa Odighizuwa and Jourdan Lewis have played at a Pro Bowl level, while Carl Lawson has had a productive year rushing the quarterback.

With that said, there is one player who has given Dallas the ideal blueprint to prolong Prescott’s career: running back Rico Dowdle.

Dowdle has been a revelation since the Cowboys declared him their lead back. That it took more than half the season for that to occur is a travesty, but we digress.

With 149 rushing yards in Sunday’s win over Carolina, Dowdle became the first undrafted free agent in a decade with three straight 100-yard games. Dowdle ranks either first or second during that span in rushing yards, yards after contact, explosive runs (rushes of 10 or more yards), missed tackles forced and runs that resulted in a first down, per Pro Football Focus.

Dowdle shouldn’t be the centerpiece of the offense moving forward. That is CeeDee Lamb, who made more Cowboys history on Sunday. However, regardless if Mike McCarthy is back, running the football should be Dallas’ identity next year and Dowdle should absolutely be a part of that.

With Dowdle as the focal point of the offense, the Cowboys have won three of their last four games with Cooper Rush under center. While Prescott proved in 2023 when he finished second in MVP voting that he’s capable of carrying an offense, he has historically flourished with the benefit of a strong running game.

Prescott will turn 32 before the start of next season. By no means is he “injury prone”, but two major leg injuries in four years, both of which required season-ending surgery, is alarming.

The Cowboys’ window is wide open so long as Prescott is healthy and under contract. The front office’s primary objective should be prolonging his career. The easiest way to do that is not ask him to do everything, i.e., become a run-first offense.

With Dowdle emerging as a more-than-capable starter, Dallas has a golden opportunity to draft a rookie somewhere on day two to give Prescott a two-headed monster in the backfield. That should be the way forward and it’s possible th