Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray hasn’t had much luck staying healthy during his first two NFL seasons, making the need for a quality second option in the backfield a fairly important one in Dallas.
Lance Dunbar has shown some signs of being just that in the preseason. He’s run eight times for 45 yards and caught six passes for 83 yards during a preseason that’s been marred only by a fumble at the tail end of a long catch-and-run against the Cardinals on Saturday. Dunbar’s status for the rest of the preseason and the start of the regular season is up in the air now, though.
Dunbar has a sprained left foot and is wearing a protective boot to protect it. Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com reports that Dunbar could be out for three or four weeks, a timetable that puts the first couple of weeks of the season in doubt while also costing Dunbar time to work with the team in a third-down back as they rehearse for the regular season in their third preseason game.
Fifth-round pick Joseph Randle will likely move up to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart with Dunbar out. Randle has not been particularly impressive in the preseason, but it appears he’ll get a chance to make a stronger impression in the next few weeks.