Fumble Rates Among Cowboys Running Backs

When the Cowboys took Ezekiel Elliott with the #4 overall pick in the first round, there were a lot of reasons the Cowboys loved him and one stat Jason Garrett is big on is ball security. Do you want to guess which of our running backs is the least likely to fumble the ball?

Let’s take a look at the fumble rates of our current running backs. For this exercise we’ll look at the rookies collegiate numbers as a reference against the veterans.

These are career stats, respectively:

Ezekiel Elliott

4 career fumbles on 592 attempts = 1 fumble every 148 carries

Alfred Morris

11 career fumbles on 1,078 attempts = 1 fumble every 98 carries

Darren McFadden

20 career fumbles on 1,277 attempts = 1 fumble every 63.85 carries

Darius Jackson

6 career fumbles on 321 attempts = 1 fumble every 53.5 carries

So, if you guessed Ezekiel Elliott you are correct. The higher the carries per fumble the better. In this comparison, Zeke fumbled the ball 1 time per 148 carries. Those are solid numbers which the Cowboys undoubtedly took into consideration when scouting him.

This further strengthens the case for how much Zeke will mean to this team. He’ll catch the ball, he’ll pass block, he’ll run hard, and he secure the ball.

Darius Jackson will have an opportunity to make this team if he can push off someone like Lance Dunbar. I imagine the Cowboys would like to keep Darius on the team via the practice squad. Obviously, the Cowboys do like Jackson’s potential. He has low tread on the wheels, has the size and height the Cowboys covet, and he catches the ball. The fumble rate in college would need to improve at the next level however.