Adding a 1,000-yard rusher to an offense that ranked 13th in the NFL in rushing yards per game and had its lead back run for just 801 yards makes a ton of sense, right?
That is exactly what Bleacher Reports’ Brent Sobleski predicts that the New England Patriots will do once free agency opens. In his latest running back landing spots prediction , Sobleski predicts that New England will sign Dallas Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle.
Dowdle had a career year in 2024, rushing for his career high of 1,079 yards. Dallas had just 1,705 rushing yards as a team, meaning Dowdle accounted for 63% of his team’s rushing production.
He became the feature back late in the season and rushed for 100 yards four times after officially being named as the starting running back well over halfway into the season. His performance down the stretch has more than likely earned him quite a nice payday.
It is well known that New England is going to be extremely aggressive in free agency. They have the most cap space in the league, and they are going to be looking to build around second-year quarterback Drake Maye and head coach Mike Vrabel.
When looking back at what Vrabel did when he was the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, he built up the offensive line and allowed Derrick Henry to pound the football. Now, Dowdle is no King Henry, but there may be a similar approach in Vrabel’s first year as the Patriots’ head coach.