OXNARD, Calif. — When the Cowboys take the field against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night, a lot of eyes will be set on rookie running back Deuce Vaughn.
The 5-foot-5 Swiss Army knife out of Kansas State has proven to be lightning in a bottle for every offense he has ever played for, but it's this final NFL task that stands in front of him moving forward.
For Vaughn, an opportunity to just get on the field is a blessing in its own right.
"Just an opportunity to play football," Vaughn said about what he's looking forward to on Saturday. "Not a lot of guys get this opportunity, so I'm gonna take it and run with it."
Even though he last suited up for Kansas State just seven months ago, it's been a long offseason for Vaughn with the draft process, getting integrated with his new team and getting going at training camp.
"It feels like forever since I've played an actual football game," he said. "Going through the pre-draft, post-draft, OTAs and now training camp, it feels like it's been a long time. I'm excited to get out there. Not only that, but I've built a bond with these guys on the football field playing with me. I'm excited to get out there and go to war with them."
Oddly enough for Vaughn, his new home stadium just so happens to be his favorite venue from his college days at Kansas State and the site of where his first NFL action will be played on Saturday. However, he knows this time will be with a noticeable change on his uniform and on the field.
"AT&T Stadium over my college career was probably my favorite place to play," he said. "Played there twice, last time we got a pretty big time W. I'm super excited to get back into AT&T Stadium, this time with the star on the side of the helmet and a star in the middle of the field. It's gonna be something else."
An opportunity sits in the preseason for Vaughn to make an impact in a relatively unproven running back room as well as in the return game with KaVontae Turpin expected to get rest on special teams in the preseason.
"I guess the biggest thing for me is I can go and cut it loose," he said. "In practice in the first two weeks of training camp, you're still trying to figure out how to practice as a professional compared to college. Now, football is football. You go out there, 11 guys on the football field on your side against another 11 guys. It's football."
Even though Vaughn will be the smallest player on the field on Saturday, and even though it's still "just football" to him, he is ready for the opportunity to take on whatever challenge lays ahead.
"As much as the coaches put on my plate, I'm willing to take it."
