Nepo baby or late bloomer? Former 6th rounder has front office, Cowboys coaching connect

USA Today

3 days ago

The football world wipe a falling tear from their collective eye when Deuce Vaughn became a National Football Leaguer. Late into Day 3 of the 2023 NFL draft, the yet-to-be selected diminutive backfield threat received a call from his dad. Only this wasn't a call to tell him to keep his head up. Chris Vaughn works in the front office of the Dallas Cowboys and was calling to tell his son he was being selected and brought back to North Texas.
The Cowboys are a family owned and operated franchise, so nepotism is hardly looked at as a negative experience. But following that emotional moment that was shared far and wide across the football universe, things haven't gone that well for Vaughn. He didn't mesh well with the run game that head coach Mike McCarthy was running. He appeared in just seven games as a rookie, with a woeful 1.7 yards per carry. Appearing in seven games again his second year, his average blossomed to a respectable 4.1 yards a carry, but his impact was still minimal.
With Brian Schottenheimer moving up to the head coach role, he brought in changes to the staff. Klayton Adams was brought in from Arizona to be the new OC, and Vaughn's former college OC Conor Riley was hired as the new OL coach. The changes seem to have suited Vaughn, as he was the teams most impressive back through the first few days of training camp. A hamstring injury halted that though, and potentially threatens Vaughn's chances to make the 53-man roster.
Rundown
Position: Running Back
Age: 24
Height: 5-foot-5
Weight: 179 pounds
Hometown: Fayetteville, AR
High School: Cedar Ridge (TX)
College: Kansas State (College Highlights)
Draft: 2023 Sixth Round (No. 212 Overall)
Acquired: 2023 draft
Contract: Four-year contract (2023), $4 million
2025 Base Salary: $1 million, no guarantees
Career Earnings: $1.8 million (per Over The Cap)
Profile
Vaughn backed up several players last year and though Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle are no longer in town, the team signed Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, as well as drafted Jaydon Blue in the fifth round. Along with an apparent renewed commitment to fullback Hunter Luepke, it makes for a difficult proposition for Vaughn to remain with the team on the 53-man roster. He'd need an extraordinary training camp, and that's what he was having until the injury sidelined him.
His void was filled by Blue, who began to excel as the pads came on, leaving Vaughn's role a question mark, made more murky by the staff's usage of WR Kavontae Turpin out of the backfield. Vaughn will really need to impress in the preseason to keep his dream of being a meaningful contributor to the Cowboys alive.
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