The Dallas Cowboys have changed their running back group after producing 69 yards on the ground in their Week 1 game against the New York Giants. Dallas added Tyler Goodson, who came from the Atlanta Falcons, and released Israel Abanikanda to create room for him.
Abanikanda, who played college football at Pitt, had not established a regular NFL role before the move. His professional experience consisted of six games with the New York Jets in 2023.
His final Pitt season came in 2022, when Abanikanda carried the ball 239 times for 1,431 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. That production made him one of the leading running backs in college football that season.
The roster change followed criticism from Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer about the team's performance against the Giants. Schottenheimer said New York's defensive front created too much disruption early, and he said Dallas' runners faced difficult conditions at the start of the game.
"I thought they pushed us around a little bit up front," Schottenheimer said, according to DallasCowboys.com's Tommy Yarrish. He also said Dallas made adjustments during halftime and described the result as a team issue.
