Dallas has a variety of problems that impact their poor running game

The Dallas Cowboys have the eighth-worst running attack in the league, averaging just 85 yards per game. It's easy to see the lack of talent in the running back room and blame that for the poor performance. Ezekiel Elliott averages just 3.5 yards per run and is the only NFL running back with at least 10 attempts where he failed to break a single tackle. Rico Dowdle isn't much better at 3.7 yards per attempt, and Deuce Vaughn, who is supposed to be the explosive running back in the room, averages just three yards per run.

The running back team wasn't outstanding, but upon closer inspection it becomes clear that not many rushers would be successful in this offense.

In Week 1, the Cowboys faced the best defense of 2023 at home, a strong Cleveland Browns team. In Week 2, the Saints scored 21 points in their first 12 games and Dallas was so far behind on the scoreboard that the team couldn't run. The team didn't play games conducive to good running in the first two weeks, and now the Baltimore Ravens, with the best run defense after two weeks, are next.

Saquon Barkley would be limited in these situations; in these games, the running back problem is not the problem.

Dallas' offensive line has been of little help this season, and Travis Frederick will not be heading to the locker room. Their first-round offensive tackle Tyler Guyton ranks 62nd in run blocking. There are 64 starting tackles in the NFL, so Guyton is nearly the worst starter in the league. Fellow rookie Cooper Beebe ranks 22nd among centers, in the bottom third at that position. Their two All-Pro offensive guards, Tyler Smith and Zack Martin, are woefully bad, ranking 32nd and 37th, respectively. Terence Steele is the only player who does well on the OL: he ranks 9th as a run blocker. Even when the line does its job, the run game is only effective when all players are blocking and Dallas' receivers have missed their targets as well. Brandin Cooks is the 10th-worst run blocker at his position, and Jalen Tolbert is the fifth-worst.

The running back position in Dallas is not ideal, but concern about the team's ineffective offense shouldn't focus on improving the position just yet. Trading draft capital for a running back only to have him stuck in bad situations with bad blocking won't change anything, and that's not even considering the style of play. The Cowboys need to show they can successfully utilize the running back before they can find better backs to capitalize on.