The Cowboys will have a new starting running back this weekend.
The announcement came from owner Jerry Jones — who else? — during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday morning. Jones said that Darren McFadden will get his first start since signing with the team as a free agent during the offseason.
Two factors likely played a role in the move. The first is that Joseph Randle suffered an oblique injury against the Giants that could keep him out of the lineup against the Seahawks this weekend. The second is the way that McFadden performed after Randle was lost for the day.
He ran for 152 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries and also had a touchdown catch called back because of an offensive pass interference penalty. It was the best individual outing of the year for a Cowboys back and may have been enough to earn McFadden the nod even if there weren’t any injury concerns about Randle.
For the season, McFadden is averaging 4.3 yards per carry. That’s his best total since 2011 and the Cowboys could certainly use more outings like last Sunday’s as they wait for Tony Romo to return to the lineup.