The Dallas Cowboys are reportedly ready to go with Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden and Lance Dunbar splitting the carries in the backfield. When you have an offensive line that features three first-round picks and a first-round talent, you probably don't worry too much about who's toting the rock.
But even though owner Jerry Jones is "very comfortable" with his group of running backs, it doesn't mean that the Cowboys are against adding another ball carrier.
"Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones had made it clear on multiple occasions this offseason that the franchise is open to adding a back if it makes sense, using New England signing LeGarrette Blount last November as an example," Jon Machota of the Dallas News wrote.
"Judging by Jerry Jones' response on Tuesday, if the Cowboys were to add a veteran back, it probably wouldn't happen until at least late August."
We know a long-rumored trade for Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is out of the question now. With Greg Hardy on the roster, it seems improbable that the Cowboys would sign Ray Rice. It sounds as if any movement on another running back will largely depend on the health of the team's existing trio.
"We want to continue to balance the right amount of work for McFadden, Randle and for Dunbar," Jerry Jones said while the Cowboys held mini-camp at AT&T Stadium. "We want to get them the right amount of work, but we don't want to be foolish as to what we do as we get on into the physical part of training camp. Those are guys that we're planning to go against New York with [in Week 1].
"How we balance out training camp risk on our running back situation speaks to healthy backs. If we bring in a back, they need to be healthy, they need to have a good logical thought that they are going to be able to hit up in there and come out and do it again, so they've got to be stable, durable, and hopefully you'll have some potential to see somebody with some upside there, too.
"It's a hard spot for veteran backs, when we've got three that we want to treat like veterans as we get ready for the season. So finding that veteran back usually isn't the answer at this particular time. Now if we were down at the end of training camp and we were getting ready to go play, then a veteran is a different circumstance. From that standpoint, it's a managing situation as to where we are now as opposed to where we're going to be when we leave training camp."
