Ashton Jeanty makes feelings clear on playing for Cowboys: “It’d be dope”

The Dallas Cowboys seem to be in the market for a running back, and one of the top players at that position in this year’s draft would love to fill that void.

At the NFL Combine on Friday, Auston Jeanty was asked about the prospect of joining America’s Team. His response:

"You know just the fact that I grew up there, played high school football out there, you know had games in their practice stadium, so it’d be dope," Jeanty said.

The 21-year-old, who was born in Jacksonville, played at Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas, where he rushed for 1,843 yards and 41 touchdowns as a senior. That led to him being recruited by Boise State, the same alma mater as the Dallas Cowboys’ new offensive coordinator, Klayton Adams.

In 2024, the Cowboys were 27th in the league in team rushing, averaging 100.3 yards per game. That made the offense one-dimensional and contributed to them missing the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

At the same time, Jeanty could have an open spot in Dallas, with Rico Dowdle set to become a free agent on March 12. Last season, Dowdle rushed for 1,079 yards, averaging 4.6 yards-per-carry, but only found the end zone twice.

Ashton Jeanty’s numbers in college

Jeanty put up some outstanding numbers in three seasons with the Broncos, steadily improving every year to become an elite player at his position.

He rushed for 821 yards and seven touchdowns in his freshman year in 2022, averaging 5.3 yards per carry on the ground.

The following season, he ran for 1,347 yards and doubled his total for rushing scores from 2022 with 14. He showed in 2023 that he could be a dual threat, with five TD grabs and a career-high 569 yards receiving.

Last season, he showed that he elevated himself to elite running back status, with 2,601 yards on the ground to lead the nation, while averaging 7.0 yards per carry, with 29 running scores.

He was a Unanimous All-American in 2024 and captured the Doak Walker Award for the top running back in college. NFL.com believes that his instant bursts will make it difficult for defenders to bring him down quickly, while he can rocket past containment and consistently create great runs with his cutbacks.

Jeanty had a massive workload for Boise State in 2024, particularly down the stretch of the season, with 279 carries in his final nine games.

For him to be so productive despite that many touches out of the backfield could be an appealing quality for teams like the Cowboys in search of a consistent and versatile running back.