It took a while for former South Carolina running back Rico Dowdle to get the opportunity to make his mark with the Dallas Cowboys, but when he did, he did not disappoint. Dowdle was named the starter and lead back for a struggling Cowboys team midway through the season, but even when the Cowboys weren't playing well, Dowdle was putting his all out on the field.
In his first season as a starter for the Cowboys, Dowdle has made waves within the organization as the first-ever undrafted player to ever reach the 1,000 rushing yards mark in a season in Dallas Cowboys history. Dowdle was able to surpass the mark with a great performance against an Eagles team that did not allow much to the Cowboys on Sunday.
Dowdle ran for 104 yards on 23 carries against Philly, marking his fourth 100-yard performance in the last five games, giving him 1,007 yards on the season with one game left to play.
#Cowboys Rico Dowdle officially becomes the first undrafted player to rush for 1,000 yards in team history.
— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) December 29, 2024
So happy for Dowdle man.#DallasCowboys #floatingRico pic.twitter.com/UVvP7Zqk9P
Dowdle also got his name in the record books when it comes to former Gamecocks in the NFL as he is the first former South Carolina player to rush for over 1,000 yards since the legendary Duce Staley did it back in the late 90s and early 2000s. Staley accomplished the feat three times in his NFL career, so Dowdle still has some work to do.
This was Dowdle's fourth season with the Cowboys as he signed with them back in 2020. The Cowboys have been looking for an answer at the running back position for years, and now they just might have found it. Dowdle sat behind Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard for years, but even with having to split snaps for quite a few games this season before becoming the official starter and lead back, Dowdle has surpassed Elliott and Pollard's single-season totals from 2020 to 2023.
Before the season started, Dowdle signed a one-year deal with the Cowboys, and after such a great season proving he can be a viable starter in the NFL, the fourth-year back could see a big payday in his future. With the running back position becoming more and more important within offenses, Dowdle could either stay with the Cowboys or become a top sought-after free agent during the offseason.