FRISCO – The Dallas Cowboys’ connection to Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty dates back to the middle of the season when early mock drafts pegged him as the franchise’s next No. 1 running back.
While early, those projections represented the glaring need in the Dallas backfield.
A tandem of Rico Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott quickly became a one-man show.
Dowdle ended the season with over 1,000 yards on the ground, but his future with the team is uncertain as free agency approaches.
With that in mind, there is a very clear path for Jeanty to return to his hometown of Frisco.
But the Cowboys will have to wait a little longer to get any further evaluation of Jeanty on the field as he is set to skip work outs at this week’s NFL Combine, his agent tells NFL media’s Tom Pelissero.
He will still participate in medical evaluations and team interviews, waiting to take part in on-field activities until Boise State’s Pro Day.
Certainly a disappointment for the Cowboys and their fans hoping for an early look at the highly touted prospect, there is not much for Jeanty to prove on the field at the combine.
His 374 carries for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns from last season do much of the talking in regard to performance. Jeanty himself, however, has not been shy when discussing his ideal destination come draft day.
He revealed to Jon Gruden last week that he has significant interest in a homecoming this spring.
Media Clown Skip Bayless Renounces Fake Cowboys Fandom “I was just there a few years ago playing high school football…in [the] Ford Center, up there in Frisco, Texas… to be back in Dallas practicing in that facility again, playing in that facility again, that would be amazing.”
This all assumes he is still on the board once the Cowboys are on the clock at No. 12. Jeanty could be an early selection depending on how things shake out through the first 11 picks.
If he falls to Dallas, it is hard to imagine the team passing on him assuming there is mutual interest here.
But the Cowboys have a number of needs across the roster with a wild free agency ahead. Locking in any guarantees for their reconstruction at this point is a fool’s errand.
