It’s interesting that Conor Riley, the Cowboys’ new offensive line coach, coached both Deuce Vaughn at Kansas State and Hunter Luepke at North Dakota State. Which begs the question, do you see any changes in the roles of these two players? – Brian Dales/Kingsland, TX

Nick: I don’t know if that requires a change in their roles, but maybe just more of it. That’s what both Deuce Vaughn and Hunter Luepke should be looking for this year. I think we know what they do best but can they just do it better. Can the plays be blocked better? Can we see more of them in different spots on the field?

I think the role for Deuce is to be a change-of-pace back that can get the ball in space. Now, I’ve always said this – you can’t just have a back that does one thing. If he’s better in the open field he still has to occasionally run it up the middle. And if there’s a big bruising back that gets the ball in the trenches, he still needs a few carries on the perimeter to keep everyone honest.

As for Luepke, we know he can do so many things. He blocks. He runs it. He catches it. If he can sometimes be a running back, sometimes be a tight end and then do a few things in between, there’s always value in that.

Tommy: Of the two, I think Luepke has the better chance to see his role change just because of what he can do blocking in the run game. He’s a stout, physical player that can serve as a lead blocker, blocking tight end or even a short yardage running back if needed, and I think that gives him the upper hand over Vaughn in terms of how he could be utilized.

That said, Vaughn’s not the easiest guy to bring down because of his size, but still has a lot of room for growth and needs to prove himself more if he wants to see an increased role.