Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones at press conferenceJerry Jones (Photo via Rougex19/Twitter)
The Dallas Cowboys have been consistently tied to a running back in the draft process, and it looks like Jerry Jones just spilled the beans on who they are going after.

The Cowboys will most likely take a running back in the second or third round of the draft on Friday as their current group consists of Rico Dowdle, Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn, Snoop Connor, and free-agent signee Royce Freeman.

On Thursday night during round one, Jerry Jones spoke highly of Texas running back Jonathon Brooks, who had his 2023 season cut short because of a torn ACL.

The Cowboys met with Brooks at the NFL Scouting Combine and brought him to the team’s headquarters for a pre-draft visit. That was more than enough for Jerry Jones to be satisfied with the next move.

“In 30 years, I thought it was the best interview I’ve ever had with a player,” Jones said of Brooks. “He’s outstanding. We got him high, high, high (on our board). He’s a good player.”

The Dallas Cowboys have a gaping hole at running back thanks to 2023 starter Tony Pollard departing for the Tennessee Titans in free agency after signing a three-year deal this offseason.

Jerry Jones is going to keep his team from going into the 2024 season, with Rico Dowdle and undersized Deuce Vaughn being their one-two punch at the position. Drafting Jonathan Brooks is one part of the plan, but the team may also bring back veteran RB Ezekiel Elliott.

Jerry Jones said the door is open for a possible return.

“We spent a lot of time with Zeke,’’ Jones said.

Jonathon Brooks Could Turn Into Major Weapon For Jerry Jones And The Cowboys

Jerry Jones (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
The Texas Longhorns lost star running back Jonathon Brooks to a torn ACL in November against the TCU Horned Frogs, but he is expected to be acceptable by the time training camp arrives.

Jerry Jones has already shown his hand that he wants to draft him, and it could bode well for him and the franchise.

The six-foot, 216-pound running back’s combination of speed, agility, and acceleration allowed him to average 129.5 scrimmage yards per game in 2023, which was the second-most in the Big 12. He was named to the 2022 Second Team All-Big 12 team.

Despite starting the season behind CJ Baxter, Brooks enjoyed a breakthrough season for the Longhorns this fall. Throughout the season, he caught 25 catches for 286 yards and a touchdown, in addition to running for 1,139 yards (6.1 yards per carry) and scoring ten touchdowns, per sportsreference.com.