While productive and talented, Cowboys starting running back DeMarco Murray has missed at least two games in each of his first three NFL seasons. And if that trend holds, the Cowboys’ top reserve tailback will have a chance to show what he can do as the starter at some point in 2014.
Third-year pro Lance Dunbar is one of the top candidates for work behind Murray. In a story published by Fox Sports Southwest on Monday, Dunbar indicated he was back to full strength after suffering a left knee injury last November that ended his 2013 campaign.
“I’ve been feeling pretty good, not having any problems, no soreness or anything. I feel 100 percent,” Dunbar said last week, according to Steve Hunt of Fox Sports Southwest.
Dunbar, second-year pro Joseph Randle and ex-Cardinal Ryan Williams are the primary reserve options in the Dallas backfield. Williams missed major time with knee and shoulder injuries earlier in his career, but he was selected a round ahead of Murray three years ago. A fifth-round pick in 2013, Randle made the Cowboys’ roster last season and played 13 games.
Dunbar, meanwhile, has played 21 games for Dallas in two seasons, gaining 4.4 yards per attempt in 51 career carries. However, he was limited to nine games in 2013 because of foot, hamstring and knee ailments. That he feels well as the season approaches is a positive development as he vies for the snaps Murray doesn’t get.