TheĀ Dallas CowboysĀ (3-2) maintain a tenuous grasp on their season after eking out a win over theĀ Pittsburgh SteelersĀ on Sunday Night Football in Week 5, but the team must improve its run game if it hopes to truly contend for, and in, January.
Dallas has the second-worst rushing offense in theĀ NFLĀ through five weeks with just 420 yards gained as a team. The Cowboys are also second-to-last at 3.5 yards per carry and tied for 31st in the league with only 2 rushing touchdowns, according toĀ NFL.com.
Long gone appear the dominant days of theĀ Dak PrescottĀ andĀ Ezekiel ElliottĀ QB/RB combo that made Dallas one of the most potent offenses in the league and forced defenses to pick their proverbial poison of either a hammering run game or a high-octane passing attack.
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
But the Cowboys can change that, or at least try, by making a move ahead of the leagueās November 5 trade deadline. Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports on Tuesday, October 8, authored a trade pitch that would see Dallas deal for running backĀ Miles SandersĀ of theĀ Carolina Panthers.
ā[Cowboys owner]Ā Jerry JonesĀ didnāt want to pay forĀ Derrick Henry, so he might require Carolina to eat some of Sandersā deal,āĀ Benjamin wrote. āBut the formerĀ [Philadelphia] EaglesĀ standout would at least give Dak PrescottĀ more proven run support.ā
Sanders, 27 years old, is playing in the second season of a four-year contract worthĀ $25.4 millionĀ in total. He earned Pro Bowl honors withĀ the EaglesĀ in 2022 after posting 1,269 rushing yards and 11 TDs on the ground as well as 20 catches for 78 receiving yards, perĀ Pro Football Reference.
Running back Miles Sanders of the Carolina Panthers.
Morgan Tencza-USA TODAY Sports
Chuba HubbardĀ has a firm grip on the starting running back spot in Carolina, which means the Panthers (1-4) are probably eager to get off Sandersā deal and may be willing to retain some salary to do so if trading him to a team like the Cowboys brings back a meaningful asset ā probably a Day 3 pick between the fifth and seventh rounds of the 2025 draft.
Elliott, who led the league in rushing in two of his first three years in the NFL, has carried the football justĀ 30 times for 98 yards and 1 scoreĀ this season.
Rico DowdleĀ is the Cowboysā leading rusher withĀ 221 yards on 54 carries. He has not scored a rushing TD this year.
