The Dallas Cowboys have made a free agent addition, signing journeyman NFL running back Royce Freeman to a one-year deal. Todd Archer of ESPN reported the news on X.
The Cowboys have signed running back Royce Freeman to a one-year deal, according to source. Freeman had 319 yards on 77 carries with 2 touchdowns last year for the Los Angeles Rams. He was 3rd round pick of Denver in ’18.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) April 17, 2024
Freeman, 28, was drafted in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. Freeman appeared in 14 games that season in Denver, rushing for 521 yards and five touchdowns. Those still stand as his career-highs.
In 2019, Freeman continued to get opportunities, appearing in all 16 games and rushing for 496 yards and three touchdowns. Then, his career somewhat tailed off.
In 2020, Freeman’s last year with Denver, he rushed for 170 yards. In 2021, with the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans, he rushed for a combined 169 yards. And in 2022 with Houston, he rushed for 117 yards.
Last year, Freeman was with the Los Angeles Rams, where he enjoyed some success again, rushing for 319 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games. He was a part of a somewhat revolving door of running backs in Los Angeles.
Freeman will now join a running back room with a lack of experience in Dallas. Last year’s starter, Tony Pollard, signed a three-year, $21.75 million deal with the Tennessee Titans in free agency. That leaves just Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, Malik Davis and Snoop Conner in the backfield, alongside Freeman.
Dowdle has been with the Cowboys since 2020, and has just 96 rushes for 385 yards and two touchdowns in his career to go along with 17 catches for 144 yards and another two touchdowns. Vaughn was drafted by the Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, and ran 23 times for 40 yards while reeling in seven catches for another 40 yards. Davis has been with the Cowboys since 2022, and has 38 rushes for 161 yards and a touchdown with six catches for 63 yards in his career. And Conner has just 12 career rushes for 42 yards and a touchdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
According to Archer, the addition of Freeman will not prevent the Cowboys from drafting a running back in next week’s draft, or even adding another one in free agency. The Cowboys clearly lack a true No. 1 running back, and Freeman doesn’t exactly feel like the answer.
If the Cowboys want to add another running back via free agency, there are still some viable options, including JK Dobbins, Jerick McKinnon, and former Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott. If they want to add a running back through the draft, there are no clear stars, but there are some household names, such as Blake Corum from Michigan and Trey Benson from Florida State.
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