Dallas Cowboys: Who starts at Running Back?

The Dallas Cowboys have a void to fill at running back, with either Darren McFadden or Joseph Randle. The team’s star is gone, but will one player steal the job or can a time-share work instead? Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Check out more of the brothers in Seesaw Sports Debate on BuzzChomp. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.

TODD:

One of the biggest position battles in the entire NFL is taking place in Dallas where the Cowboys are attempting to replace last season’s rushing leader.

The two challengers for the starting running back spot in place of DeMarco Murray are Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden. Each player has his own logical arguments for why he should be the team’s lead back. Unfortunately for Cowboys fans, most of the arguments are simply statements against the other guy.

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It could be argued that Randle should be the main guy this season because McFadden is a newcomer who has no knowledge of the system or scheme in Dallas. He also has no experience behind this offensive line or playing behind Tony Romo. McFadden has also proven time and again that he is not capable of staying healthy.

It could also be argued that McFadden should be the guy. Randle has been here for two years now, entering his third, and the coaching staff has never deemed him worthy of receiving more than 50-odd carries in a season, and he has been a near-zero in the passing game. Randle has also gotten into heaps of off-field trouble. He was drafted in the fifth round and has been a career backup for a reason, even if that career is still very new.

So which is it? Which guy does Dallas rest its season on? Or is this answer pretty obvious at this point? Neither guy deserves to be a full-time starter. The reason behind having two guys (three if you count Lance Dunbar) is to spread the load around. Neither is anything close to Murray, but perhaps combined they can fill the void.

I realize picking neither man is a cop-out answer when it comes to position battles, but especially in today’s NFL, what legitimate team rules out a timeshare at running back if two players are comparable and compatible? It just doesn’t happen.

You agree or do you think one guy has the leg up?

May 27, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Darren McFadden (20) runs drills during OTAs at Dallas Cowboys Headquarters. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

DAN:

The running back time-share approach is a solid approach, but rarely materializes on the field and over the course of a full season. One back usually performs better, or less worse, wins the favor of coaches, and ultimately gets more carries. One back blocks better, runs those all-important passing routes more effectively, or simply stays healthy. Either way, the idea to split carries between two equally solid running backs looks great on paper, but is hardly an answer on offense, with the lone exception of a team having two players of DeMarco Murray’s abilities.

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Joseph Randle does not have those abilities, at least not yet. He’s received a consistent 50 plus carries each of his two seasons in the league, both with the Cowboys. The upside is obvious. Randle doubled his yards per attempt from year one to year two, improving from an average of 3 yards to a solid 6.7 yards per attempt. Yet ESPN obviously agrees that he is not ready, and likely is not in the discussion for serious playing time. They have him listed at third on the running back depth chart in Dallas, behind both McFadden and Lance Dunbar.

This running back debate begins and ends with Darren McFadden. I do not see a time-share situation materializing in Dallas. Unless Cowboys’ coaches know the star-studded truth about either Randle or Dunbar, neither player can compete with the solid production that McFadden has exhibited over his seven seasons in the NFL. Randle has upside and probably deserves an uptick in his fifty carries a season. Dunbar will likely see an increase to his thirty carries a season as well. But McFadden will carry the load as long as his legs hold out.

The injury risk is a real risk, but such is the life of an NFL franchise. McFadden has a history of finding pain, but the past is not a good indicator of the future in that regard. He played all seven seasons of his career for the Oakland Raiders, a team not known for its offensive line or offensive effectiveness of late. Sure, Darren only played a full sixteen games once, but that was last season when Oakland finally turned a corner.

The two young Cowboys’ running backs may surprise me, but what won’t surprise me is a Darren McFadden resurgence. Dallas has a strong offense itching for a veteran presence to assert itself. After managing to make a name for himself on forgettable Raiders teams, McFadden can finally get his due on America’s team. Once a fantasy sleeper, I’d grab him much higher as the leader of the Cowboys’ backfield.

Dan Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also Lead Editor, Staff Writer, and Featured Vlogger at BuzzChomp, and a New York Jets Analyst for Pro Football Spot. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Instagram.

Todd Salem is a Staff Writer for NFL Spinzone. He’s also a Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp, a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report, and an Analyst for Tipster Labs, among others. Follow him on Twitter.

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