Who Should I Start? Ezekiel Elliott or Rhamondre Stevenson

Tuesday, June 4, 2:14 PM

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said the team will use a running-back-by-committee approach in 2024, although the exact members of the committee backfield aren't entirely clear yet. At the very least, it should be veteran Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle, with Royce Freeman, Deuce Vaughn, Hunter Luepke, Malik Davis, Snoop Conner and rookie Nathaniel Peat competing for roster spots behind them. "Two or three [running backs], whatever it takes," McCarthy said. Elliott has the best credentials with 8,904 career rushing yards, but he won't be asked to do what he did in his first stint with Dallas, when he averaged 268.7 carries per season. He had career-lows in rushing yards (642), touchdowns (three) and carries (184) last year with the Patriots, and those numbers could dip further in 2024 back in Dallas in an RB committee.

Thursday, June 20, 4:10 PM

New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson agreed to a four-year, $36 million contract extension on Thursday, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. The deal includes $17 million guaranteed. While the team can get out of the deal early and less than half of it is guaranteed, this is still a sign that the organization views him as the clear leadback. The 26-year-old enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2022, racking up over 1,400 yards from scrimmage and six touchdowns in 17 games. He was limited to just 12 games and 857 yards in 2023, but he should be healthy heading into his fourth pro season. While Antonio Gibson might get work behind him in the receiving game, both running backs could see plenty of targets given the weak group of pass-catchers Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett have to work with. Stevenson is likely an underpriced RB2 for 2024.