Explosive and elusive, RB Deuce Vaughn impressing in Cowboys training camp
Deuce Vaughn, a 2023 sixth round draft pick, is one of such RBs fighting for a role in 2025. The 5-foot-6, 176-pound jitterbug is a niche player who has been one of the first to shine in training camp. The Kansas State product has been quick to the hole, explosive out of his cuts and hellbent on getting downfield fast.
Through his first two years in the NFL Vaughn has had a tough time getting on the field. His 40 career carries for 110 yards equates to just a 2.8 yards/carry average. His impossibly small build has come with some obvious liabilities that have yet to be overcome and some advantages that have yet to be realized in real game action.
In this his third NFL season, he's flashing some of those advantages early in training camp and hoping to continue it through the preseason and onto the final roster in 2025.
Vaughn's small stature and frictionless cuts have been on full display. Standing a full foot shorter than many of the lineman in front of him, Vaughn can easy dip below sight lines and navigate with stealth-like precision behind blockers and through holes. It's an image he's flashed in the past before and again here in 2025 it's invigorated his personal fanbase within Cowboys Nation.
How Vaughn holds up when pads and contact ramp up is the question everyone's asking. As a college workhorse who ran for over 3,600 yards in his last three seasons, Vaughn has proven he's more than meets the eye. His durability and elusiveness have allowed him to overcome his size limitations in the past and remain his gateway to a meaningful role in the pros.
Vaughn comes to training camp on the roster bubble. He has to prove he can be a player in the NFL and that can only come when all the pads come on and the hits are real. But his flashes in shells aren't nothing and they serve as a reminder of what someone like him can bring to the table when given the right role.
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