- Deuce Vaughn
- #42
- Team DAL
- Pos RB
- Status AActive
-
Pre-Season Outlook
Vaughn's diminutive size and big preseason performances quickly made him a fan favorite after he was selected in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but his woeful 1.7 yards per carry in the regular season suggested he didn't have the athletic traits necessary to compensate for his stature. Dallas let Tony Pollard walk in the offseason and appear ready to use a backfield committee in 2024, which could open the door for Vaughn to see a more significant role alongside Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle and Royce Freeman. Vaughn's best fit might be on passing downs.
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Could take slot snaps?
Vaughn (ankle) is a candidate to earn more work out of the slot this offseason, Reid Hanson of USA Today reports.
Analysis: Vaughn only suited up for seven games as a rookie before landing on IR, across which he totaled just 80 yards from scrimmage without a touchdown. Now presumably healthy, the 5-foot-6 running back could have a clearer path to backfield opportunities with Tony Pollard having moved on to Tennessee, even with Ezekiel Elliott now back atop the depth chart. The slot could be a more natural fit for Vaughn, though to emerge as an actual fantasy contributor in Year 2, he'll need to earn more than the…read more
Published: Mon, May 20 at 1:14pm by Rotowire.com
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Placed on IR with ankle injury
Vaughn was placed on injured reserve Wednesday with an ankle injury, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: After a promising preseason, Vaughn failed to carve out a prominent role in the regular season. The 5-foot-6 running back out of Kansas State was frequently left inactive on game days and finishes his rookie campaign with 23 carries for 40 yards, as well as seven catches on as many targets for 40 yards.
Published: Wed, Jan 3 at 9:49am by Rotowire.com
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Three touches against Detroit
Vaughn carried the ball twice for two yards and caught his only target for 10 yards in a Week 17 win over the Lions.
Analysis: With Rico Dowdle (ankle) unavailable, Vaughn stepped in as the backup to Tony Pollard and saw a modest workload in a 20-19 victory. It was still the rookie's highest touch volume since Week 5, as the diminutive speedster has been inactive for all but two games since then. The Cowboys will be looking to lock up the NFC East title Week 18, so Vaughn figures to see minimal involvement again even if Dowdle sits out a second straight game.
Published: Mon, Jan 1 at 10:11am by Rotowire.com
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Won't play Week 16
Vaughn (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Vaughn has now been a healthy scratch for six consecutive weeks, with his last appearance coming in Week 10 against the Giants. He 68 scrimmage yards on 27 touches this season.
Published: Sun, Dec 24 at 12:13pm by Rotowire.com
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Won't play Sunday
Vaughn (coach's decision) is inactive Sunday against the Eagles.
Analysis: Vaughn will sit out for the fourth straight game. His last appearance was in Week 10 against the Giants when he rushed for minus-two yards on his only carry while adding an 11-yard reception. Rico Dowdle will provide backfield depth behind Tony Pollard for Sunday's NFC East clash.
Published: Sun, Dec 10 at 4:11pm by Rotowire.com
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Inactive Thursday
Vaughn (coach's decision) is inactive for Thursday night's game against the Seahawks.
Analysis: Vaughn is third on the Dallas running back depth chart behind Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle. The rookie has 21 carries for 38 yards and six catches for 30 yards on 52 offensive snaps this season.
Published: Thu, Nov 30 at 4:27pm by Rotowire.com
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Won't play Sunday
Vaughn (coach's decision) is inactive Thursday against the Commanders, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Vaughn will take a seat again in Week 12, as Rico Dowdle (ankle) will play against Washington. The former's next chance to play will be Week 13 against the Seahawks.
Published: Thu, Nov 23 at 12:21pm by Rotowire.com
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Back to inactive list
Vaughn (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game at Carolina, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Analysis: The 22-year-old suited up last week against the Giants after being a healthy scratch the previous three games, and he'll return to the inactive list Sunday with Rico Dowdle (ankle) available. Vaughn has 21 carries for 38 yards and six catches for 30 yards in six games this season, and his role is unlikely to change much while Dowdle and starter Tony Pollard are healthy.
Published: Sun, Nov 19 at 9:18am by Rotowire.com
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Garners active status Week 10
Vaughn is in line to serve as the Cowboys' punt returner in Sunday's Week 10 matchup against the Giants with KaVontae Turpin (shoulder) inactive, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: The speedy rookie was last active Week 5, and he'll now have a chance to add to the 40 rushing yards, 19 receiving yards and 10 punt return yards he's amassed in five games thus far. Vaughn could be particularly busy in his special-teams role, considering the Giants will start rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito and therefore could see plenty of drives end in punts.
Published: Sun, Nov 12 at 12:18pm by Rotowire.com
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Healthy inactive Week 9
Vaughn (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Eagles, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Vaughn will be a healthy scratch for the third straight game after garnering active status for the first five contests of his career. The rookie's next chance to return to action comes in a Week 10 home matchup against the Giants next Sunday.
Published: Sun, Nov 5 at 12:08pm by Rotowire.com
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Healthy scratch again
Vaughn (coach's decision) is inactive ahead of Sunday's game against the Rams, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: The rookie running back out of Kansas State seems to have fallen down the depth chart, as he's a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game. Vaughn has recorded 59 yards from scrimmage on 25 touches for the Cowboys this season.
Published: Sun, Oct 29 at 9:43am by Rotowire.com
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Healthy scratch Monday
Vaughn (coach's decision) is listed as inactive for Monday's game against the Chargers, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Vaughn's playing time has been inconsistent through five games this season, with his snap share topping out at 30 percent in the Cowboys' Week 4 blowout of the Patriots. Overall, he's averaging exactly two yards on his 20 carries and has gathered in all five of his targets for 19 yards. Dallas signaled that it was making a change in its reserve RB ranks by elevating Malik Davis ahead of Monday's contest to provide backfield depth alongside Rico Dowdle behind starter Tony Pollard.
Published: Mon, Oct 16 at 3:49pm by Rotowire.com
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Workload could increase
Vaughn carried the ball eight times for nine yards and caught his only target for two yards in Sunday's rout of the Patriots.
Analysis: While he didn't do much with the volume, this was still the most touches Vaughn has seen in an NFL game to date. The rookie's increased workload came as a result of an injury to Rico Dowdle (hip), so Vaughn could continue seeing a bigger role in the Dallas backfield behind starter Tony Pollard in Week 5 against the 49ers.
Published: Mon, Oct 2 at 7:44am by Rotowire.com
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Flashes in Week 2 win
Vaughn carried the ball three times for 16 yards and caught all three of his targets for 16 yards in Sunday's win over the Jets.
Analysis: With the Cowboys routing another opponent, the depth options in the backfield behind Tony Pollard saw significant volume -- Vaughn's six touches were topped by Rico Dowdle's seven, and KaVontae Turpin handled three touches as well. After a disappointing NFL debut in Week 1, this time around Vaughn showed glimpses of the explosiveness that made him a preseason darling, with his longest gain going for 13 yards. Should anything happen to Pollard, Vaughn will be a priority target on fantasy waiver…read more
Published: Mon, Sep 18 at 9:46am by Rotowire.com
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Does little in debut
Vaughn carried the ball six times for eight yards in Sunday's 40-0 rout of the Giants.
Analysis: The Cowboys were up 16-0 after the first quarter thanks to their defense and special teams and never looked back, creating some garbage-time opportunities for depth players late in the game. Vaughn failed to impress in his first NFL action, though, and both Rico Dowdle (24 rushing yards on six carries) and KaVontae Turpin (14 yards and a TD on three carries) did more with their chances out of the backfield once Tony Pollard was done for the night. Vaughn made plenty of highlight reels in…read more
Published: Mon, Sep 11 at 6:52am by Rotowire.com
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On initial 53-man roster
Vaughn was included on the Cowboys' initial 53-man roster following roster cuts Tuesday, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Behind Tony Pollard, Dallas' situation at running back has cleared up somewhat, with Vaughn and Rico Dowdle, plus fullback Hunter Luepke, making the team over Malik Davis. With Ronald Jones suspended for the first two games of the season, Vaughn -- a 2023 sixth-round pick -- will be among the options to spell Pollard in the early going. In two preseason games, the pint-sized Vaughn became a highlight-reel favorite and notched 13 carries for 64 yards and two touchdowns, while gathering in all…read more
Published: Tue, Aug 29 at 3:11pm by Rotowire.com
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Another rushing TD
Vaughn rushed five times for 14 yards and a touchdown, brought in his only target for minus-1 yard and returned two kickoffs for 38 yards in the Cowboys' 22-14 preseason loss to the Seahawks on Saturday night.
Analysis: Vaughn didn't see any touches until the second half, with Rico Dowdle and Malik Davis both slotting in ahead of him. Although he was nowhere near as efficient on a per-carry basis as during Dallas' preseason-opening loss to the Jaguars, Vaughn still made the highlight reel with a nifty 14-yard touchdown run on which he spun away from would-be tacklers to cap off the Cowboys' first second-half drive. He's essentially a lock for a roster spot already, so he may actually see modest playing time in…read more
Published: Sat, Aug 19 at 11:23pm by Rotowire.com
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Dominates in preseason debut
Vaughn rushed eight times for 50 yards and a touchdown while catching all three of his targets for six yards in Saturday's preseason tilt against Jacksonville.
Analysis: Vaughn made quite the splash when he began dominating the defense in the second half of Saturday's contest. The sixth-round pick was brought in to help a position group that lacked reliable pass catchers last year, but he showed us that he could be more than just a passing-down specialist. Vaughn just played a strong hand that could have him jumping ahead of Malik Davis on the depth chart as the top backup to Tony Pollard (ankle) come Week 1. More eyes will certainly be on Vaughn when the…read more
Published: Sat, Aug 12 at 11:34pm by Rotowire.com
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Strong start to camp
Vaughn has impressed the coaching staff so far in camp both as a runner and a receiver, Saad Yousef of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: While the diminutive running back's pass-catching skills were apparent in college, it wasn't clear how the rest of his game might translate to the NFL. Through early padded practices, Vaughn has shown an ability to use his 5-foot-6 stature to his advantage by hiding behind blockers before exploding into space. The big test will be how he's able to hold up in pass protection, but if he shows he isn't a total liability, the 2023 sixth-round pick could carve out a consistent role in the offense…read more
Published: Mon, Aug 7 at 7:41am by Rotowire.com
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