Cowboys training camp fans love 5-foot-5 Deuce Vaughn. A diversified skill set makes him more than that.
Cowboys supporters yell Deuce Vaughn’s nаme as he runs onto the practice field in Oxnard, California. Other veterans like Micah Parsons, Dak Prescott, Tyron Smith, and others are treated similarly. Superstars, Pro Bowlers, possible Hall of Famers. Five-foot-5 sixth-round rookie running back Vaughn wants to become one of the tiniest NFL players ever. He’s easy to notice and root for as an underdog.
If you think Vaughn is strange, realize that he’s used to surprising people. He went from curiosity to one of the most productive running backs in college football in four years at Kansas State, adding nearly 5,000 all-purpose yards and becoming a two-time All-American. This may explain why Vaughn is competing for the No. 2 spot behind Tony Pollard on a wide-open running back depth chart.
This was the Cowboys’ most uneasy offseason since 2015, before Darren McFadden’s 1,000-yard rushing season. Pollard is the top back, and his career average of 5.1 yards per carry shows he can make big plays. His season-high is 232 touches, and he was never a bell-cow at Memphis in college. Behind Pollard, veteran Ronald Jones was never a guarantee to make the roster before his two-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing-Ԁrug policy. The Cowboys must decide who will get touches after Pollard. With ex-Pro Bowlers Dalvin Cook, Leonard Fournette, and old friend Ezekiel Elliott on the free-agent market, is that player even in camp?
Second-year Malik Davis, fourth-year Rico Dowdle, and Vaughn are striving to prove the locker room has the solution.
Vaughn took most of his reps with the second and third teams in the first two days of padded sessions, including a stunning spin move that went viral on social media. By week’s end, Vaughn replaced Davis and Dowdle in first-team reps. The tendency maintained in pad week two.
Mike McCarthy has praised almost every back in his “young room.” Tuesday, he termed Davis a “very, very natural runner” and Dowdle “probably the most impressive pass pro pickups of camp.” His praise for Vaughn is comparable.
“After going through the draft, doing our installs, and now getting ready for the season, Deuce is a guy that was top of my mind going into summer,” McCarthy said before the Cowboys’ first padded practice. “I think we need to get Deuce balls.”
Now that they have, the Cowboys coaching staff has seen a running style like an uncontrollable kid, but Vaughn thinks his skills are more developed.
“I’d call my game versatile,” he says. “I’m good at backfield catches. I can also run routes from the slot, which was my strongest asset at Kansas State and will do here.”
Before the draft, Vaughn was compared to 5-foot-6 Kansas State product Darren Sproles, who had nearly 20,000 all-purpose yards in the NFL. Comparing is valid. Vaughn shifts. Indeed, Vaughn can be a passing weapon. Unlike Sproles, Vaughn has no return game experience, so if Pro Bowler KaVontae Turpin keeps playing well, the Cowboys won’t need to challenge him.
Vaughn’s stocky body, low center of gravity, and rushing technique match Eagles rusher Boston Scott. Despite their short stature, Vaughn and 5-foot-6 Scott are powerful runners. Since opponents can’t see a guy a foot shorter than the blockers, the Cowboys rookie can tote the ball between the tackles like Scott did in Philly. After being picked in the sixth round like Vaughn in 2018, Scott, 28, has played for five seasons thanks to his ability. If Vaughn can duplicate that, player and team will benefit.
His first NFL camp is his priority for now. He discusses bоdily maintenance, “being a sponge” around Pollard, and limiting mistakes. Most of all, he wants to learn—both his duties and their significance.
“I’m really focused on diving into the ‘why’ within the playbook,” Vaughn explains. Why did the running back execute this plan on this play? Why am I running this way? What measures can I take to open a play behind me while blocking? I’m learning everything to slow things down.”
That and his NFL adjustment will take time. Vaughn may not be named in Saturday’s preseason opener against Jacksonville because Dowdle and Davis are ahead of him on the team’s first depth list. As history shows, Vaughn may surprise when he jogs onto the field. That he may hear some chants along the road.
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