The Dallas are staying put with their running back rotation at the moment despite getting linked to trades for Adrian Peterson and Matt Forte along with contracts to Chris Johnson and Pierre Thomas. Owner Jerry Jones has all the confidence in the world that the current roster players can make up for the loss of DeMarco Murray and now it is just a matter of deciding who gets the start and who remains the backup.
The Cowboys acquired Darren McFadden as their Murray replacement along with Ryan Williams to join Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar. McFadden has been the assumed starter, but Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPNDallas.com reports that Randle might actually be the favorite to get the starting nod for Week 1. Taylor writes that the Cowboys need a starter. A run game by committee is never as productive as having a one-true starter and the Cowboys could make Randle that guy considering his experience in the offseason.
Last season, Dallas ranked second in rushing yards per game with 147.1 along with 4.63 yards per carry. If the Cowboys want back into the playoffs, those numbers need to remain the same in 2015. The issue is who pushes that effort and who merely just adds to it. Randle is that guy as he continues to improve in the Dallas system despite off-the-field issues. He averaged 6.7 yards per carry on 51 carries while getting long-distance touchdowns as well. Randle will make the transition away from Murray far easier than anyone else.
Jones still has confidence in McFadden. The former Oakland Raider has been a bit of a disappointment since arriving in the NFL, barely making any impact on his past team. The Cowboys are convince that behind the offensive line Dallas has built, any running back can be success especially McFadden.
"[Y]ou've got a good chance to not live up to expectations," Jones said, via PFT Live on NBC Sports Radio. "Because when you are drafted that high, people think that you are going to be the next Jimmy Brown. So, yes he would have liked to have had a more productive career. But the kinds of skills that got him drafted with the fourth pick in the draft, he still has."
Stephen Jones made it clear via the Dallas Morning News that the Cowboys were sticking with the current running backs and would add a veteran to the mix if the need is there. At this point the Cowboys are not expected to trade for Peterson or Forte. The chances that Johnson or Thomas sign on are much more likely come training camp.
