Could the Cowboys pick up former Dolphins running back Salvon Ahmed?

The Dallas Cowboys’ outlook at the running back position looks bleak for the upcoming season. They are planning on using a committee approach, with their top two running backs being Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle. Neither of those players is RB1 material, but it’s what they’re working with for now as during the offseason, rather than going for a qualified veteran or a rookie, Dallas picked up their old pal Zeke, who they were still paying in dead money anyway.

Dolphins release intriguing RB option for Dallas

As things stand now, there is a bit of a competition for the RB3 spot between Royce Freeman and Deuce Vaughn. Vaughn performed well in his rookie preseason last year, but during the regular season, he averaged just 1.7 yards per carry on 23 rushes. Freeman had a good game on Saturday when the Cowboys beat the Raiders, but Vaughn also jumped back into the action with 34 rushing yards in just five attempts for a team-high 6.8 yards per carry. Another spot will likely go to fullback Hunter Luepke. One thing all these backs lack is speed.

But what if the Cowboys could still pick up a running back from free agency? That didn’t seem to be an option for Dallas, but now the Dolphins just made a move that might make them consider it.

The Dolphins’ running back room was already stacked - with De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert taking on the majority of the work and doing it well, players like Salvon Ahmed fell to the backburner. After two preseason games, the Dolphins have now released him. In his rookie season in 2020, Ahmed ran for 319 yards and three touchdowns on 4.3 yards per carry. On 163 carries, Ahmed has never fumbled. Although he’s not the same player he was in 2020, he would still be the most explosive running back on Dallas’ roster if they were to add him. Pro Football Focus gave him a 69.3 rushing grade.

Of course, better running backs may become available, but the rosters must be cut to 53 by Tuesday, and the Cowboys might as well make a move now. Then, rather than waiting to see if someone better does come along, they make a change once that happens for sure.

The Cowboys seem to have a false sense of security regarding the current running back room, but they must realistically know that none of the RBs on the current roster have the speed and explosiveness that Ahmed would bring.