The Dallas Cowboys had a huge season last year and were able to win a Wild Card playoff game, but they had a terrible offseason and are a major question mark team heading into 2015. DeMarco Murray was a huge part of their success last season, but he decided to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency. Jerry Jones must now address the running back position and make a move to improve the spot before the 2015 regular season opens.
At this point in time, the Cowboys have Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden and Lance Dunbar on their running back depth chart. Recent reports have surfaced and stated that no player has stepped up and taken control of the starting job.
This is a major concern moving forward for the Cowboys, especially with Tony Romo needing all the help he can get. Dallas was one of the NFL's top offenses last year because of Murray's production, which helped Romo have one of his most consistent years. Leaving Romo without a legitimate starting running back will add a lot more pressure on him and will allow defenses to focus on shutting him down.
Randle appeared to be the starter earlier on this offseason, but it appears that McFadden is trying to push towards him and earn the starting job himself. Either player would likely be solid behind the Cowboys' offensive line, but they simply aren't the type of difference maker that Murray was.
Jones has quite a few options if he wants to take a look at improving the position.
Perhaps the most obvious option is former Baltimore Ravens running back, Ray Rice. He has yet to see a second chance from an NFL team since footage came up showing him punch his girlfriend in the face. Since then, the two have gotten married and Janay Rice has been very vocal about them being just fine and asking teams to consider giving her husband another chance.
Rice would immediately slide into the lineup as the starter and would be a very consistent presence in the backfield. Dallas would be getting a player that is looking to prove himself once again with a chip on his shoulder, as well as a player that has had quite a bit of time away from football to rest.
Outside of Rice, there are a couple other options on the market that could help them this season. Steven Jackson, Pierre Thomas and even Shonn Greene could be upgrades over the trio of backs that are currently on their roster.
Dallas definitely has a lot of work to do in order to be mentioned among the teams like Seattle and Green Bay who are expected to be the top two teams in the NFC.
All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what the Cowboys end up doing moving forward. If neither McFadden or Randle steps up, there is no one currently on the roster that will give Dallas the type of production that they need to have from the ground game.
