Nobody has separated themselves yet and it remains a question of how good and effective this Cowboys running game by committee can be.
Joseph Randle has shown flashes early in his career that he can be a difference-making player in the league, and is eager to prove he can handle the load. The Cowboys have raved how mature and professionally Randle has handled himself so far in camp on the field.
“He’s been on point with not only his run stuff, but his pass-game stuff,” running backs coach Gary Brown said. “I always try to tell him … ‘who are you without the ball? I know what you can do with it, what can you do without it?’
“We want to be complete football players. We don’t just want to be runners. Guys who are just runners don’t last in the league very long. We can get anybody to go out here and just run. We want guys who can catch the ball, pass protect, protect the football, do the things that are necessary to make an offense run.”
Darren McFadden, meanwhile, has shown the burst that made him the fourth overall pick in the 2008 draft. He said he feels he is past the hamstring issues that slowed him most of camp. McFadden showed last season he can get through an entire season healthy, albeit in a more limited role with the Oakland Raiders. He had 155 carries last season, fewer than 10 a game.
Based on Brown's comments, it sounds as if Randle is handling himself well in practice. We believe he's the team's best option as a primary runner, but as long as McFadden is healthy, he'll get some touches.
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