Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle undergoes MRI following Week 4 injury

Dallas Cowboys second-string running back Rico Dowdle suffered a hip injury in Sunday’s win against the New England Patriots that required further evaluation on Monday. The former South Carolina Gamecocks star underwent an MRI to determine the severity of his injury.

Dowdle left Sunday’s game, a 38-3 win, with the hip injury and did not return. He had nine rushing yards on three carries and caught one pass for eight yards before his exit.

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones shared an update on Dowdle on Monday afternoon and noted that the team would look at former Florida Gator Malik Davis on the practice squad before making any roster moves.

“Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones on @1053thefan said they are ‘more optimistic’ today than they were yesterday about RB Rico Dowdle’s hip injury,” the Athletics’ Jon Machota shared. “Jones called it a contusion. Jones also said if they needed help at RB, they’d look to Malik Davis before going outside of the building for help.”

Entering Sunday’s game, Dowdle had 71 rushing yards on 17 carries and had three receptions for 42 yards. He caught his first touchdown pass of the season in last weekend’s loss to the Cardinals.

The Cowboys may not need Dowdle’s services anyway, taking a 28-3 lead into halftime against New England.

Dowdle entered Week 4 as Dallas’ second-best RB

Although he only had 71 rushing yards to his name through the first three games, Dowdle entered the fourth week of the NFL season as the second-leading rusher for the Cowboys. Tony Pollard led the squad with 264 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Dowdle was undrafted out of South Carolina in 2020 and has carved out a prominent role for himself in Dallas. He signed with the team as an undrafted free agent and has spent the first four seasons of his career with the Cowboys.

In his first three seasons, Dowdle did not have much of a role with the team due to injuries. However, he has taken on more responsibilities with the offense early in 2023. The former Gamecock signed a one-year deal this offseason for $1.04 million.

“Just coming in trying to do what I can do to help win games,” Dowdle said of his goal for the year at the beginning of last month, via DallasCowboys.com. “Finding a role in the offense, I’ve been here four years so I’m definitely trying to find a role to see what I can do to help the team win. I’m looking forward to it because I haven’t really been out there since I’ve been here.”

“This is the biggest opportunity of my life just coming in and making the team,” he added. “Now it’s the biggest opportunity of my life to go out there and show what I can do in the National Football League.”