For better or worse, the Dallas Cowboys prefer to fill their roster holes in the 2025 NFL Draft rather than free agency. That puts a lot of pressure on Will McClay and the scouting department to nail their player evaluations.
While Dallas has gotten mixed reviews from recent drafts, they have seemingly knocked this year's showcase out of the park.
They wasted no time finding Zack Martin's replacement in first-round pick Tyler Booker and followed that on Day 2 with two of the best value picks in the draft in pass rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku and cornerback Shavon Revel. With the arrow already pointing up, Dallas granted fans wishes and double-dipped at running back on Day 3.
It's no secret this roster wasn't in great shape going into draft weekend. Because of that, some draftees have a chance to climb up the depth chart at their respective positions. It is obviously extremely early in the offseason, but one vet might already be on the hot seat.
Cowboys RB Miles Sanders may be on thin ice following NFL Draft
If we had to pick an odd man out in Dallas' backfield, it's definitely Miles Sanders.
The Cowboys spent a fifth-round pick on Texas running back Jaydon Blue, who brings a home-run hitting element to a not-so dynamic offense. He can be especially dangerous as a receiver if head coach and presumed play-caller Brian Schottenheimer can scheme him into favorable matchups.
Blue plays the game at a different gear. He was hidden by some excellent Texas running backs, but he exploded this past season with 730 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 5.4 yards per carry. He also caught 42 passes and had six receiving scores.
Blue doesn't have the build to handle a RB1 workload, but that's totally fine because Dallas drafted Clemson bulldozer Phil Mafah in the seventh round. Mafah's size and running style meshes perfectly with Blue's speedy tendencies. The 234-pounder isn't a burner, but runs with a purpose and has good patience and ability to read blocks.
Before the sun even set on the draft, Schottenheimer essentially said he thinks Blue and Mafah have the potential to be starters.
That brings us to Sanders, who signed a one-year with Dallas worth $1.03 million guaranteed. While fellow free agent pickup Javonte Williams' stock isn't soaring, Sanders is coming off a season where he completely lost his starting job to Chuba Hubbard.
In two seasons in Carolina, Sanders started just seven games (27 games total) and failed to crack 700 rushing yards and averaged an abhorrent 3.5 yards per carry.
Williams has had a subpar two seasons following his big knee injury, but his downhill running style is a much better fit with Schottenheimer's vision for the offense.
When you couple that with the sheer buzz following the two rookies, Sanders enters the offseason program in a less-than advantageous situation.
