After losing DeMarco Murray in the 2015 season, the Cowboys have an issue at the running back position. Murray led the NFL in rushing yards with 1,845 yards behind their offensive line who have three Pro Bowlers returning from last year (Tyron Smith, Zach Martin, and Travis Frederick). After the offseason, the Cowboys were left with four options: Murray’s backup from last year, Joseph Randle; former college star and Oakland Raider running back, Darren McFadden; former Seahawk backup, Christine Michael; and, Lance Dunbar, who has played on the Cowboys since 2012. Now that Dez Bryant and Tony Romo are injured, the Cowboys need a go-to running back. Although Joseph Randle has taken the starting role, he is not the right choice; therefore, Darren McFadden should be the starting running back for the Cowboys.

McFadden showed true promise in college, finishing in second place in the Heisman race for two years in a row. In his three year career at Arkansas, he rushed for 4,590 yards and 41 touchdowns. He was one of the best college running backs of all time. He still shows the promise he did at Arkansas. At 6’2” and running an approximate 4.33 second 40 yard dash, McFadden is an ideal running back. He has size, speed, and elusiveness. Although his NFL career has not been what was expected, he has rushed for over 4,200 yards and 25 touchdowns.

He was drafted fourth overall in 2008 by the Oakland Raiders, which is a large part of his lack of success. The Raiders have been consistently one of the worst teams in the NFL. Over the seven seasons McFadden was there, the best the team did was 8-8. The offensive line was not good enough to protect a successful running back. Even with these challenges, McFadden rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2010 despite only playing in 13 games. Behind the Cowboys line, which is arguably the best in the NFL, McFadden will be able to produce winning results. Injuries have been a problem for McFadden. He missed about 28 games during his career with Oakland, but again, with the Raiders having a poor offensive line, there wasn’t much to protect him. With a playoff caliber team and a Pro Bowl caliber offensive line, McFadden would be able to stay healthy.

With his combination of size and speed, Darren McFadden is the better choice over Joseph Randle. Although Randle averaged over six yards per carry last year, he is not big enough or fast enough to be a consistent running back. He only had 51 carries last year; Murray had 392. At only 6’0” and about 200 pounds, Randle will not be able to take all the wear and tear of being a running back in the NFL. Also, he runs about a 4.50-4.60 40 yard dash. He’s simply not athletic enough to be an every-down running back in the NFL. McFadden is the player that the Cowboys need, not Randle.

The Cowboys running back situation is still a controversy at this point. Joseph Randle may be the current starter, but Darren McFadden is the right choice for the position. Given the starting position, he will give the Cowboys the success they need.