McFadden & Randle Tandem Could Be Explosive

The 2015 draft addressed several positions the Cowboys lacked quality depth at, but to many, the Cowboys failed to address the running back position. DeMarco Murray left for bigger money, so many fans and draftniks thought the Cowboys would draft a running back despite what Jerry Jones said during his the annual pre-draft press conference.

Jerry Jones said addressing the RB position in the draft was not a must have, not urgent; however, coming away with defense was a must have and defense would be the focus. Jerry was not putting up a poker face, and he backed up what he said.

But, did the Cowboys make the right decision on passing on all the marquee RB prospects we all grew familiar with throughout the draft process? In the Cowboys eyes — yes, and they feel good about the players on the roster right now.

Let’s review who the Cowboys have under contract:

• Darren McFadden
• Joseph Randle
• Lance Dunbar
• Ryan Williams

The Cowboys have also signed Synjyn Days, Georgia Tech as an undrafted free agent, and they invited Cam McDaniel, Notre Dame to minicamp.

There’s been a lot of talk of McFadden just being here as a backup, but McFadden has the pedigree of a top flight running back, his issue has been the team he played for previously. The Raiders were a very unstable organization throughout all of McFadden’s years in Oakland, his talent was wasted.

McFadden has some real durability issues, that may carry over in Dallas. If you’ve been injured consistently a few games here and there, then you can bet that trend will continue or will it?

We saw Murray deal with injuries consistently while he was here in Dallas, but last year the offensive line took a huge leap forward and Murray’s injury bug was warded-off most of the year. Murray took less big hits at the line of scrimmage and in the backfield, so we saw how he lead the NFL in carries and yardage.

McFadden is closer to a Murray clone than most would expect. From Mockdraftable.com:

You’ll notice McFadden and Murray have a 92% similarity comparison from their scouting combine numbers. Coming out of college McFadden was an explosive running back, question will be whether or not he still has that explosiveness in his game. At 27, McFadden should have 2 more years of quality ability; coincidentally, the Cowboys signed him to a 2-yr deal.

Where does Randle fit into the running game plans?

With Randle’s recent off field issues in the rear view, it is his time to take this last opportunity and take his career more seriously than he has the past two years. There’s a good chance the running game will be split 60/40 or 50/50 between McFadden and Randle.

Last season Jerry Jones wanted to lighten the load on Murray towards the end of the year and he wanted to increase Randle’s load.

“But make no mistake about it, Joseph Randle can be effective out there, too. Should we? We probably should have at least Randle get a few more snaps.” (ESPN)

Jerry felt that Randle has improved his overall game as well, and could put together 100 yard performances:

“We’ve got one that if he carried that ball 20 times a game, I think he would have outstanding numbers in the 100-yard up area. That is Joseph Randle,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM]. “We’re really proud of his progress, what he’s doing. When he’s gotten the ball, he’s been impressive.” (Machota,DMN)

Jerry isn’t the only one that has serious optimism for the Cowboys backfield. Hall of Famer, and Cowboys RB legend, Emmitt Smith recently spoke about the possibilities with McFadden and Randle, describing them as a “nice, one-two punch”:

“You know what? I am OK because Darren McFadden is a running back that you have to respect,” the NFL’s all-time leading rusher said during an interview on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM]. “You got to remember, he played out in Oakland. Oakland doesn’t have what the Cowboys have. And so having an offensive line and having a quarterback like Tony Romo, and wide receivers, and a system that makes some daggone sense, he can become a better running back in this system.

“And with Randle, you can have a nice one-two punch. One thing about McFadden, if he gets some of those running lanes that I saw DeMarco have last year, it’s on and popping, because he can take it to the house.” (Machota, DMN)

If anyone is the authority on running behind an elite offensive line it is Emmitt Smith, and he sees the potential in these two backs. For me, I see the potential and it is exciting no doubt, the big question will be whether or not McFadden can stay healthy and can Randle stay out of trouble? If all that goes well, then we’re in business.

Can you imagine how good Zack Martin is going to be with a year under his belt and working out getting stronger and bigger? This line is going to be crazy good this year and I can’t wait.

How do you fee about McFadden and Randle running behind this elite offensive line?