Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys didn't panic when running back DeMarco Murray signed with the rival Philadelphia Eagles in free agency this offseason. Typically, you would expect a team to be concerned when it loses the NFL's leading rusher. But the Cowboys have what no one else has: the best offensive line in the NFL. Thanks to first-round picks Tyron Smith (LT), Travis Frederick (C), Zack Martin (RG) and first-round talent La'El Collins, the Cowboys are confident that any running back can produce in their system. Specifically, they believe that Joseph Randle can be a productive lead back for them.
While Football Outsiders' Aaron Schatz agrees that Randle can be a quality starter, he isn't 100 percent convinced just yet.
"Randle has the ability and the opportunity, but let's be honest, the latter outweighs the former right now," Schatz wrote. "Having the first crack at a starting job behind the best offensive line in football is a pretty nice ticket to stardom. Randle certainly looked like a future star last year, gaining 343 yards on 51 carries for a remarkable 6.7 yards per carry. But you don't want to put more stock into that than you do the 3.0 yards per carry he put up with 54 carries the year before. The worry about Randle coming out of Oklahoma State was that he didn't have the burst or power to get more than what the line blocked for him. It might be hard to tell if that's still the case should the Cowboys' line blocks as well as it did last year."
Randle is listed at 210 pounds and ran a 4.63 40-yard dash at the 2013 NFL combine, so concerns over his power and speed combination are well founded. Fortunately for him, the Cowboys don't need him to be Adrian Peterson or even Murray. They just need him to take advantage of the quality blocking he is sure to receive.
If the Cowboys can continue to grind teams down and control the clock, their offense will be able to score enough points to win games.
