The Dallas Cowboys have released running back Joseph Randle. The move comes as the Cowboys saw Dez Bryant return this week and heading into Week 9 the team is keeping Matt Cassel as the starter despite his struggles at quarterback. Darren McFadden has emerged as the starter option at running back over Christine Michael and the release came as Randle is injured and facing a possible suspension from the league.
The Cowboys are 2-5 this season, but in a weak NFC East division the season is not over yet and with Tony Romo coming back soon, Bryant and Dallas still have some hope. The Cowboys lost their fifth straight game on Sunday to the Seahawks and now they have a divisional game coming up against the Eagles. According to Pro Football Talk, the team is sticking with Cassel at quarterback over Brandon Weeden even after Cassel struggled against Seattle on Sunday.
UPDATE: The Cowboys are reportedly releasing Joseph Randle. Check here for more.
Romo is working his way back, but he is not eligible to come back off of the IR return list until after next week. The team is hoping to get a win or two before Romo comes back, As Jerry Jones thinks the team can make a run once they are fully healthy. Weeden opened up as the starter when Romo went down, but the team made a change to Cassel and now Jason Garrett is sticking with the quarterback. Cassel did not have a good game against the Seahawks, going 13-of-25 for 97 yards and this season he has one touchdown and three interceptions.
The Cowboys are thrilled to have Dez Bryant back and while he did not have a great game on Sunday, making just two catches for 12 yards, the wideout said he is feeling fine regarding his foot injury. According to ESPN.com, Bryant said that he did not suffer any setbacks regarding his foot in the game against the Seahawks and that sets him up to play again next week. Bryant missed every game for the Cowboys since Week 1 after breaking his foot and after returning in Week 8 the team hopes he can stay on the field for the rest of the season.
Darren McFadden has emerged as the starter for the Cowboys, as he had over 150 yards against the Giants and had a solid day with over 100 total yards against the Seahawks. Joseph Randle is dealing with a number of situations right now, as he is injured for the Cowboys and is also facing a possible suspension from the league, making him a fantasy bust moving forward.
The potential suspension stems from an off the field incident from earlier in the year that allegedly involved domestic violence and the NFL is currently looking into it. The Dallas Morning News reports that team counselors are working with Randle on his situation and Jones said the situation is "serious" along with his football injuries.
Randle came into the season as the main starter, but he has lost that job to McFadden and with the way McFadden has been running, it's likely that he will stay in the number one spot even if Randle can return at some point. Randle is dealing with an abdomen injury and an oblique injury and those could keep him out even if he doesn't end up getting suspended. This season Randle has 313 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
