Jerry Jones, Owner of “America’s Team” the Dallas Cowboys, reaffirmed his belief in his teams current runningback depth. Jones took the statement a step further saying the group is better than a season ago even after the departure of star back Demarco Murray.
“When you say the entire running game — and that would be including our tight ends, including fullbacks, the entire game — we’re better. We’re better,” Jones said Wednesday at the team’s annual golf outing.
“Murray certainly is in that thought, but what we’ve got a chance to do with our depth, what we’ve got a chance to do with the talent, the competition that we have, and I’m assuming that we can protect (Tony) Romo, which standing here last year, the concerns about his surgeries were more so than today.
“So if Romo can have the kind of year that he had last year, then our running game will benefit from that.”
Jones obviously believes Darren McFadden can rejuvenate his career with the Cowboys. McFadden did not live up to expectations in Oakland after being drafted number 4 overall in the 2008 draft out of Arkansas. Jones may in fact be on to something considering the lack of talent that surrounded him in Oakland. Dallas does own the leagues best offensive line, a group that sports three pro bowlers. The team was also able to add talented guard La’el Collins.
Back up Ryan Williams may in fact be the league’s best kept secret. Williams is a former second round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 2011. In 2009 during his red-shirt freshman season he rushed for 1,655 yards, and 22 touchdowns at Virginia Tech. During a Pre-Season game in August of 2011 Williams ruptured his patella tendon, an injury that almost ended his playing career. Now four years later Ryan Williams is ready to prove he is healthy again.
Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar are the other backs on the roster. Cowboys’ all time leading rusher Emmitt Smith tends to agree with Jones’ statement.
“Darren McFadden, that is a running back you have to respect. You have to remember he played out in Oakland. Oakland doesn’t have what the Cowboys have,” Smith said during an interview on KRLD-FM on Tuesday, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Having an offensive line, and a quarterback like Tony Romo, and some receivers, and a system that makes some doggone sense, he can become a better running back in this system.
“And (with backup running back Joseph) Randle, you can have a nice one-two punch. The one thing with McFadden, if he gets some of those running lanes that I saw DeMarco have last year, and it’s on — he can take it to the house.”
Only time will tell if the Cowboys can match the production their running game had a year ago. The loss of Demarco Murray will obviously hurt, Nevertheless the Cowboy organization seems to be optimistic about their running game in 2015.
