{"id":414927,"date":"2026-08-23T23:04:09","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T23:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/414927\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T23:04:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T23:04:09","slug":"cowboys-ex-fan-favorite-gets-workout-in-comeback-attempt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/414927\/","title":{"rendered":"Cowboys Ex-Fan Favorite Gets Workout in Comeback Attempt"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t\t\t<img width=\"780\" height=\"439\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-2231557236-e1787522769620.jpg\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" alt=\"Deuce Vaughn formerly of the Dallas Cowboys\"   decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Deuce Vaughn formerly of the Dallas Cowboys <\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/dallas-cowboys\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dallas Cowboys<\/a> are proceeding through their preseason schedule rather nicely, as the team has won its first two exhibitions for the first time since 2007, and has done so in convincing fashion\u2013the combined score of the two games has been 51-20, with wins coming over Seattle and longtime nuisance Arizona. While things have been going swimmingly as the Cowboys return to The Star after three weeks on the West Coast, one player who had been a frequent standout at this time of year is a free agent looking for a job: ex-Cowboys favorite <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/Deuce-Vaughn\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Deuce Vaughn<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Among Cowboys fans, Vaughn became a popular figure because of his diminutive size (he is 5-foot-6), impressive preseason performances, and the emotion he and his father\u2013Cowboys scout Chris Vaughn\u2013showed when Deuce Vaughn was drafted in the sixth round from Kansas State in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>But the Cowboys waived him last season after training camp. Vaughn had played in 14 games, gaining 110 yards on 40 carries, in two seasons. He was picked up by the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"Broncos\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/denver-broncos\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"413892\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Broncos<\/a> for their practice squad but was later released.<\/p>\n<p>Deuce Vaughn Working Out for Texans<\/p>\n<p>Now, the former Cowboys reserve is getting another chance. As Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JoeJHoyt\/status\/2091624469529768416\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">wrote on Twitter\/X<\/a>: \u201cFormer Cowboys RB Deuce Vaughn had a tryout with the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"Houston Texans\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/houston-texans\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"413890\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Houston Texans<\/a> today. So did former Arkansas and Highland Park CB Hudson Clark.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>(UPDATE: The Texans did sign Deuce Vaughn to a contract.)<\/p>\n<p>Certainly, Vaughn would like to be on a roster sooner rather than later. It was a little more than three years ago this week that Vaughn first electrified Dallas fans. <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/deuce-vaughn-dazzles-preseason-debut-025650374.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">As Pro Football Talk noted<\/a> at the time, \u201cVaughn had eight carries for 50 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown run, against the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"Jaguars\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/jacksonville-jaguars\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"413891\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jaguars<\/a>. He showed off a spin move and his explosiveness in instantly becoming a fan favorite.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vaughn commented on his debut, telling reporters when asked what his big numbers showed: \u201cJust that I belong. That\u2019s the biggest thing for myself \u2013 coming in and proving the people that believe in me right. It doesn\u2019t stop now. We go back to work on Monday, and we\u2019re getting ready for the next preseason game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cowboys Backfield Still Being Sorted<\/p>\n<p>Of course, Vaughn did not last in the Cowboys\u2019 backfield, as the team has shuffled through backs in recent years before finally committing to <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/Javonte-Williams\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Javonte Williams<\/a>. The Cowboys replaced Vaughn\u2019s gadget-play speed with receiver\/returner <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/kavontae-turpin\/\" title=\"KaVontae Turpin\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"413968\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">KaVontae Turpin<\/a>, though he was used in only limited spurts last season.<\/p>\n<p>The Cowboys are currently in the midst of sorting out the roster, including at running back. Williams is the starter, with veteran former UDFA <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/Malik-Davis\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Malik Davis<\/a>, 2025 fifth-round pick <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/jaydon-blue\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jaydon Blue<\/a> and 2025 seventh-round pick <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/nfl\/player\/Phil-Mafah\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Phil Mafah<\/a> still in the RB2 mix.<\/p>\n<p>Deuce Vaughn Got Call From His Cowboys Scout Father<\/p>\n<p>Back in April 2023, on the third day of the <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" title=\"NFL\" href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"413893\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NFL<\/a> draft, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=kCl02glIVR0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">Chris and Deuce Vaughn were one<\/a> of the more heart-warming stories around the league. When it came time for the Cowboys to make their sixth-round pick, the team allowed Chris to make the call to his son. He choked up as he said, \u201cHey buddy, you want to come to work with me next week?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was a heart-warming moment. And, at the subsequent Cowboys minicamp, Deuce said he did, in fact, go to work with dad.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe actually rode up here together today,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dallascowboys.com\/news\/deuce-actually-went-to-work-with-his-dad\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external nofollow\">Deuce Vaughn said<\/a>. \u201cHe dropped me off at the hotel. As I get acclimated to stuff, he\u2019ll be up here to help me with whatever I need. It\u2019s pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/seandeveneyheavycom\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sean Deveney<\/a> is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including &#8220;Fun City,&#8221; &#8220;Before Wrigley became Wrigley,&#8221; and &#8220;Facing Michael Jordan.&#8221;  <a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/author\/seandeveneyheavycom\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">More about Sean Deveney<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Deuce Vaughn formerly of the Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are proceeding through their preseason schedule rather&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":414928,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102,104,103],"class_list":["post-414927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/414928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=414927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=414927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}