Unheralded RBs Rico Dowdle, Ty Johnson provided big results for their teams in Week 15

As any NFL season progresses, there will be more unheralded players who rise up from humble beginnings to become factors, and guys whose careers have gone sideways who somehow find the road back to relevance.

We like to celebrate these players every week in “Secret Superstars.” This week, we have two undrafted free agents from the team that may lead the NFL in value from such players, a dual-treat running back for the Bills, the Buccaneers’ newest key offensive player, and a defensive lineman who may have won a crucial division game single-handedly.

Cooper Rush, QB, Dallas Cowboys

Say what you want about Jerry Jones’ attendant weirdness (squirrel brains?), and we all have. But never let it be said that the Dallas Cowboys are unable to evaluate talent under the radar. Multiple undrafted free agents have done some good things for the team this season, and two of them are in this week’s Secret Superstars. This is more about vice president of player personnel Will McClay than anybody with the last name “Jones,” and it’s one of many reasons McClay should be able to call his shot should he ever want to be a general manager.

Let’s begin with quarterback Cooper Rush, now with his sixth straight game as a starter in relief of Dak Prescott, whose 2024 season was cut short by a major hamstring injury. Rush, a 2017 UDFA out of Central Michigan, has been in the organization for years. Average at best in previous opportunities, Rush has had a couple of games in which he’s looked like a professional quarterback. One was Dallas’ 34-26 win over the Washington Commanders, when Rush completed 24 of 32 passes for 247 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 117.6 in November, for which he made… Secret Superstars.

Now, Rush is back again after the Cowboys’ 30-14 Sunday win over the Carolina Panthers. In this game, Rush was pretty dynamic when asked to move in the pocket, when he had to roll out in boot situations, and when under pressure. Rush completed 18 of 29 passes for 214 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 119.0.

“I think the consistent energy and edge that he plays with,” Mike McCarthy said of his backup. ”I think the way that he goes about his work. He obviously has got great hands. I think he’s a lot twitchier in his lower half than people give him credit for. I thought it was great for him to be able to make two critical plays with those sacks but he’s made a bunch of other plays that have really done a great job. He’s really leading the way. It’s his preparation, it’s his work ethic and then he’s been blessed with great ability. I think he’s the epitome of a guy that has that growth mindset, continuously improves, and continuously affects and influences positive change with his teammates. I would say those are a couple of the things that stand out to me.”

If there’s one thing that could keep Rush from succeeding at another level in the NFL, it’s the butterfingers, and we aren’t talking about the candy bar. He has nine fumbles on the season, and there is a Three Stooges aspect to a lot of them.

So maybe Rush isn’t the next Kurt Warner, but he gives the Cowboys more than most backup quarterbacks do.

Rico Dowdle, RB, Dallas Cowboys

Another Cowboys UDFA and recent Superstar. Dowdle, the 2020 South Carolina alum who has done a lot to establish what had been a non-existent running game before he became the main man, is now doing his thing at historic levels. With his 25-carry, 149-yard performance against the Panthers on Sunday, Dowdle became the first undrafted free agent running back since Arian Foster of the Houston Texans in 2014 to gain over 100 yards in three straight games. Since Week 13, Dowdle has the NFL’s most rushing yards with 392, and it’s not close. (Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons ranks second at 319.)

Perhaps Dowdle’s most amazing recent statistic? Not one of those 25 carries against the Panthers became a negative run. He also forced six missed tackles, and had five carries of 10 or more yards.

Obviously, Mike McCarthy is impressed – one might even say grateful, given what the pre-Dowdle run game looked like.

“Just the combination of his running style and the run blocking unit,” McCarthy said after the win. “I think we’re definitely in sync, and I just think, like any good run game, you need the attempts. Our guys have gotten into rhythm. We’ve had a number of line-up changes throughout the season. Just again today with the number of guys that went down. He’s doing a really good job, breaks tackles. He has a violent run style. His courses and his decision-making have been excellent.”

Dowdle is on a one-year, $1,04 million contract with the Cowboys – his fifth with the team. Might he be able to parlay that into something bigger elsewhere? It’s a dynamite draft class for running backs, but Dowdle has already proven what the incoming prospects have not.

Ty Johnson, RB/WR, Buffalo Bills

Speaking of running backs making a name for themselves these days, there’s Ty Johnson, who has become part of the Bills’ three-headed backfield monster consisting of James Cook, Ray Davis, and Johnson. That’s four-headed if we want to add Josh Allen as a runner, which we probably should.

Allen is his own alien. Cook is the mainstay, Davis is the power guy, and Johnson has become a highly valuable two-way threat. He can run the ball just fine, but he’s also a force in the passing game, and it’s not just with simple screens and swing passes. Johnson has a highly-developed route acumen that extends to the intermediate and deep levels of the field.

This was particularly true in Buffalo’s 48-42 win over the Detroit Lions. Johnson, the 2019 sixth-round pick of the Lions (ouch) out of Maryland, was the Bills’ most productive receiver, with five catches on five targets for 114 yards. He had two catches of 10-19 yards, and two more of more than 20 yards. That wouldn’t be bad for a top receiver, much less a running back.

And this has been going on for a while.

“He’s really smart,” Allen said of Johnson. “I think he’s the best third-down back in the game. The way that we communicate, the way that he sees protections, it’s quarterback-like. He just plays the game the right way.”

And he plays the game in a very specific way that benefits the Bills exponentially.

Romeo Doubs, WR, Green Bay Packers

It’s been a bit of a rocky season for Doubs, the Packers’ 2022 fourth-round pick out of Nevada. In early October, he was suspended one game for conduct detrimental to the team, missing the Packers’ Week 5 game against the Los Angeles Rams. Doubs then came off a two-game inactive stint due to concussion issues just in time for Green Bay’s Sunday night win over the Seattle Seahawks. In that 30-13 win, Doubs caught three passes on five targets for 40 yards. Not a big stat line, but when you add in his two touchdowns, the fact that both were of highlight quality, and that he was near a third touchdown on the day, that’s pretty impressive.

Interestingly enough, Doubs has four touchdown catches on the season – the two against Seattle, and the two he bagged against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 6 once his suspension was up. Maybe he should take more time off!

“Yeah, how about that catch, that second touchdown catch?”, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said of Doubs after the Seahawks game. “That was a big-time play. I love how Rome works. He’s been pretty consistent for us when given opportunities. He comes through. So it was cool to have him back out there. It’s hard to get all the guys the amount of touches you’d like to when you have a room that you feel is pretty stacked. You got a lot of guys that you want to get involved, whether it’s our running backs. Certainly [tight end] Tucker Kraft made some big-time plays. But that’s a good problem to have.”

It’s a good problem that has turned the Packers’ passing game into one of the NFL’s most dangerous. In fact, Green Bay ranks first in the league in Passing DVOA since Week 10.

Luke Goedeke, OT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If you know anything about the Buccaneers, you know that left tackle Tristian Wirfs can be one of the NFL’s most dominant players at his position. But one of the most pleasant surprises about Tampa Bay’s offense in 2024 is what right tackle Luke Goedeke has become in his third NFL season. The 2022 second-rounder from Central Michigan had a bit of a rough go early on in his professional career – last season, he allowed six sacks and 43 total pressures.

But in 2024? It’s been a different story. In 411 pass-blocking snaps, Goedeke has allowed one sack and 11 total pressures. Moreover, he’s been a real asset in the run game, and this was especially true in Tampa Bay’s 40-17 Sunday win over the Los Angeles Chargers’ top-ranked defense. The Bucs ran the ball 39 times for 223 yards, and when Baker Mayfield dropped back to pass, completing 22 of 27 throws for 288 yards and four touchdowns, it was often Goedeke who allowed Mayfield to push the ball downfield where he wanted it to go. Whether he was dealing with Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, or Tuli Tuipulotu, Goedeke allowed no sacks, no quarterback hits, and just one quarterback hurry.

As Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said Monday, it’s pretty nice to have two outstanding offensive tackles.

“They’ve been doing a good job the past couple of weeks, especially Tristan. Luke’s been doing a great job all year. Ever since he’s come back from his injury, he’s been very stout for us on the right side of the line. It seems like Tristan plays better if he’s not healthy than he is when he is healthy [laughs]. Not that he’s played bad when he was healthy, but his concentration, his focus, his understanding of what’s getting ready to happen and what he has to do for his job. Those two guys have done a heck of a job for us.”

Those two guys are big reasons that Tampa Bay’s Liam Coen-led offense has become one the rest of the NFL would rather not deal with.

Kobie Turner, DI, Los Angeles Rams

As a defensive lineman, it’s great if you can rack up a bunch of sacks and pressures. That’s the name of the game, but not all quarterback disruptions are created equal. Consider the case of the late, great Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas, who owns pro football’s single-game sack record with seven in a November 11, 1990 game against the Seattle Seahawks that the Kansas City Chiefs lost, 20-19, despite Thomas’ total dominance.

Most of the time, you need more than one guy killing enemy quarterbacks to get a win. And there are other times when that one guy can actually turn the tide of a game over and over until it has become his. That’s what Rams defensive lineman Kobie Turner did in his team’s 12-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers’ last Thursday night.

It’s not just that the 2023 third-rounder from Wake Forest had two sacks and five total pressures on the night; it’s when those things happened, what they did to the 49ers, and what they did for the Rams. Both of Turner’s sacks and two of his pressures came on third-and-6 or longer to end drives, and his final pressure of the game with 5:20 left led to Brock Purdy’s deep interception to cornerback Darious Williams.

When you have that many field-tilting plays in a single game, it matters quite a bit more than twice the amount in situations that allow the opponent to keep doing its thing. Here, Turner – who has played at an All-Pro level all season – did as much or more to decide the result as anybody.

“I think the consistent energy and edge that he plays with,” Sean McVay said Monday, when asked what makes Turner such a disruptive force. “I think the way that he goes about his work. He obviously has got great hands. I think he’s a lot twitchier in his lower half than people give him credit for. I thought it was great for him to be able to make two critical plays with those sacks, but he’s made a bunch of other plays that have really done a great job. He’s really leading the way. It’s his preparation, it’s his work ethic and then he’s been blessed with great ability. I think he’s the epitome of a guy that has that growth mindset, continuously improves, and continuously affects and influences positive change with his teammates. I would say those are a couple of the things that stand out to me.”

One thing that stood out to us at Secret Superstars HQ was a defensive lineman who came into Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and just about eliminated the 49ers from the postseason, while putting the Rams in position to lead the NFC West – which, after the aforementioned Seahawks loss to the Packers, is exactly how things stand.