Boise State star Ashton Jeanty will likely be the first running back off the board in the NFL draft and the record-setting back would like to land with the Dallas Cowboys.
Jeanty is coming off a historic year with the Broncos, coming up just short of Barry Sanders’ single-season record of 2,628. He finished his junior season with 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns. He averaged a whopping 7.0 yards per carry, routinely breaking off big runs.
The Cowboys will have the No. 12 overall pick in April’s draft and Jeanty would like to hear his name called with that selection.
“I would love to play for the Cowboys,” Jeanty told Pat Doney of NBC. “It’d be like a dream come true. Obviously, I used to play in their practice stadium, and all our home games in high school even my freshman year when we came down here for the Frisco Bowl, we practiced there again.
“So, it would just feel like I’m at home, honestly. I ain’t going to say too much, but Dallas, they’ve always had a good running back, and when they’ve got a good running back, they play a lot better.”
Ashton Jeanty Could Be Spark for Cowboys Offense
The Cowboys finished the season near the bottom of the league in rushing yards per game (100.3). Dallas ranked No. 27 in the NFL and the ground game did not provide the consistency it once did for the Cowboys offense.
Taking a running back high has worked for the Cowboys in the past, although other positions might need more immediate attention. Dallas drafted Ezekiel Elliott with the No. 4 overall in 2016, and he led the league in rushing twice before his rookie contract was up.
Elliott became part of the issue for the Cowboys this season in his return to Dallas after a year away. He averaged a career-low 3.1 yards per carry and finished with 226 yards rushing.
However, Rico Dowdle emerged as a solid lead-back for the Cowboys. He cracked 1,000 yards for the first time in his career, rushing for over 100 yards in four of the final six games.
Dowdle will be a free agent this offseason but Dallas will likely look to bring him back after his breakout season.
Cowboys Parting Ways With Mike McCarthy
After five seasons, the Cowboys decided to part ways with coach Mike McCarthy on Monday. He notched a 49-35 record as the Cowboys head coach but couldn’t survive a 7-10 finish this season.
The next Cowboys skipper will help decide Dallas’s direction in the draft. While the Cowboys have some key pieces locked in, Dallas could use additional depth at wide receiver and on both the offensive and defensive lines.
Dallas already has quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb locked in with lucrative deals for the foreseeable future. Linebacker Micah Parsons is expected to receive an extension next.
The Cowboys’ head coaching job is expected to be highly sought after, despite the team’s recent shortcomings. Dallas had posted three consecutive 12-win regular seasons before their latest disappointment. The next head coach will face the challenge of leading the Cowboys beyond the divisional round — a hurdle they haven’t cleared since their last Super Bowl victory at the end of the 1995 season.
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