Cowboys' Jerry Jones Discusses Not Drafting RB Amid Ezekiel Elliott Rumors

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones knows his team still needs a starting running back, but he does not seem to be fretting the situation.

Jones addressed the Cowboys' hole at running back during a press conference Saturday, saying he still has plenty of time to make changes to the roster.

"I've seen teams win the Super Bowl with running backs that they traded for midseason. The point is that this thing is a long way from being over as to how you're going to line up (during the season)," Jones said to reporters.

The Cowboys did not address the running back position during the 2024 NFL draft, much to the shock of most fans and evaluators. Dallas was seen as one of the biggest locks to add a running back in the draft after allowing Tony Pollard to leave in free agency and not making any major moves at the position.

Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, Royce Freeman and Malik Davis are the four veterans on the roster at the moment, none of whom seem fit for a full-time role. The Cowboys have also been linked to a reunion with Ezekiel Elliott, their former star back who spent the 2023 season with the New England Patriots.

Elliott averaged a career-low 3.5 yards per carry last season in New England and has been on a downward trajectory the last three years. Again, he's not a person who should be the bellcow of an offense.

"The obvious one we haven't done yet is running back, but as I say, player acquisition is 365 days a year, and we'll continue to look to improve that running back room. … We just feel like we can address that situation as we go," Stephen Jones said.

Dallas will likely continue examining running backs situations across the league in hopes of a team making a veteran available. This was not seen as a particularly strong draft for running backs, so even teams that selected players may choose to hold onto their vets.

The Carolina Panthers could make Miles Sanders available after taking Jonathon Brooks and having incumbent Chuba Hubbard on the roster. Sanders is due a $4 million base salary this season that's fully guaranteed but has no further guarantees on his contract.

The Penn State product trudged through a miserable first season in Carolina but made the Pro Bowl in 2022 with the Philadelphia Eagles. At age 26, Sanders is the type of low-cost option who could boom if given the opportunity in Dallas.