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Cowboys' best player from Monday's loss to Bengals gives fans a big reason to be excited about his future
You've got to give it to Rico Dowdle. The Dallas Cowboys running back wasn't handed the lead back gig even though many agreed he was the best player at the position back in the offseason.
He didn't sit out the preseason entirely, Ezekiel Elliott did. It wasn't he leading the way early in the season but rather Zeke or a rotation including the likes of Deuce Vaughn even. It took until Week 5 for him to get more than 11 rush attempts in a single game. Even when he rushed for 87 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 20 carries, he didn't get the ball over 12 times on the ground again until one month and a half later.
Since then, Dowdle has looked like a true RB1 for the Cowboys. In the last three games, he's averaged 110 rushing yards per game and averaged 5.6 yards per attempt.
In fact, per the Cowboys PR team, "since Week 9 at Atlanta, Dowdle ranks second in the NFL in rushing yards (485) and third in yards-per-carry (5.22). The only player with more rushing yards than Dowdle in the last six weeks is Saquon Barkley (857)."
It's gotten to the point that serious questions have emerged about where the Cowboys go from here at running back. After all, they're expected to have a Top 15 draft pick and just about every mock draft out there is linking them to RB Ashton Jeanty, including the latest A to Z Sports' two-round mock.
A lot has been made about the Cowboys potentially signing a big name player at the position after seeing the success of guys like Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley in their new teams.
But Dowdle is playing so well he deserves a shot at remaining the true RB1 in Dallas... that is, if he can stay healthy. You see, one of the biggest question marks surrounding the rising back was always about durability, having missed multiple games a year in his first three years in the league, including a preseason stint on Injured Reserve that kept him out for all of the 2021 season.
Based on Dowdle's comments, that's something he isn't worried about as right now he feels like he could keep going for another twelve games.
"I feel pretty good right now," Dowdle told reporters ahead of Week 15. "You got your nicks and knacks from the games, but other than that, I feel pretty good. Honestly, I feel like I could go for another 12 (games)."
Dowdle's words weren't just for show as he explained why he believes his health is in a much better spot, a result from his routine, including an adjusted diet.
"Pretty much the same as I did last year," Dowdle said about his routine in a year in which he's only missed one game with the flu. "Stretching every night, cold tubs, hot tubs, flushing it out, and changing the way I ate. I think diet played an important factor into that (...) I don't eat red meat or pork. I stopped eating that last January. I eat red meat sometimes if I go to a nice steakhouse or something, but other than that, just chicken and turkey."
Dowdle believes that shows in his body fat percentage, which was cut down dramatically as a result of his diet. Going back to his college date, he attributes a lot of his soft tissue injuries to body weight.
"I feel a lot fresher, a lot healthier," Dowdle said about his process. "My body recovers faster and stuff like that. It might not just be the diet—there are a lot of things that play into it—but that’s one thing I wanted to stick with."
It's not like Dowdle avoids contact when he's on the field. He's known for a physical, angry style of running the ball. Now that he's up to 159 attempts through 14 weeks of the season, it's tough to make an argument that he can't last as a lead back. Perhaps he won't be a three-down cowbell but fans should be excited about his future.
The Cowboys can realistically bet on him moving forward, something that should get fans excited.
As far as the improved rushing offense, Dowdle believes scheme changes has had to do with everything as the Cowboys have stuck with their core concepts.
"(The improvement) is not surprising," Dowdle said. "Early on in the season we were behind and so we weren’t able to run the ball, we were taking a different approach with it as well. We made a couple of changes and switched our scheme a little bit, sticking with the bread-and-butter core concepts that everybody was good at. I think that all played a factor into it."
