FRISCO – Dallas Cowboys running back Deuce Vaughn has been living a football fairy tale … and it might be ending soon.

Having been a fan favorite since being drafted in 2023 with his father, Chris, a scout for the Cowboys, delivering that emotionally charged phone call to let his son know he had been drafted, it has been two years of tough sledding for Deuce.

And after the NFL Draft, it’s gotten that much tougher with Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah both being selected. Plus, new coach Brian Schottenheimer can squint and envision them as potential starters.

But now, as attention turns to the offseason programs, Dallas has trimmed its roster to 90, and running back Malik Davis was one of the four players the franchise waived.

That’s one less player Deuce has to usurp.

Now, with OTAs about to get underway here inside The Star, Vaughn still has a huge hill to climb with Miles Sanders, Javonte Williams, Blue, Mafah, and even fullback Hunter Luepke ahead of him.

But the path forward is becoming clear for Deuce. … and it’s likely to end in a way fans don’t want it to. When we break down the Cowboys’ 53-man roster predictions and we don’t include Deuce?

Fans don’t love it.

The problem with the diminutive runner? He’s not bigger than Dallas’ big backs, or faster than the fast ones, or more shifty than the shifty ones.