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Before Murray encapsulates everything that happened up until running back DeMarco Murray signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency. While the Eagles were a surprise landing spot for the player who led the NFL in rushing last year, everything else to that point went as expected.
After losing to the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs, the focus shifted to Murray and wide receiver Dez Bryant. One of the two was destined for the franchise tag, and it was no surprise that Bryant suffered that fate. Not only was Murray not re-signed, but the Cowboys appeared to refuse to even engage in the bidding war for his services.
Instead of retaining their star, the Cowboys instead focused on bringing in cheaper, less celebrated veterans.
Everything that happened before Murray signed with the Eagles set up the After Murray timeline. This is when the Cowboys were expected to become much more aggressive in their pursuit of a replacement. A trade for Adrian Peterson was constantly discussed in the media, while a strong crop of rookie running backs would be prime for picking in the 2015 draft.
The Peterson trade never materialized before the draft, and any anticipation during the draft was wasted. Dallas didn't acquire Peterson, which wasn't a major surprise, but when paired with the fact that the Cowboys didn't select a running back at any point in the draft, it became one.
Instead of addressing the running back position directly, the Cowboys shocked everyone by spending a pick on Chaz Green, a right tackle, in the third round.
Green acted as a prelude to the Cowboys' biggest offensive addition, La'el Collins. Collins fell completely out of the draft because of peculiar circumstances. He is a first-round talent who came to Dallas for an undrafted price tag. He is expected to take over a starting role inside for Ronald Leary.
Therefore, instead of replacing Murray during the After Murray timeline, the Cowboys instead focused on strengthening a strength. It is a strategy that should indirectly improve the running back position by alleviating the pressure on whoever slots into Murray's role.
While Cowboys fans may feel frustrated by the limited movement at the running back spot, there may be more method to this madness than it initially appears.
Darren McFadden and Ryan Williams were the two primary running back additions for the Cowboys this offseason. Both should be considered veteran backups while Lance Dunbar and Joseph Randle assume the primary responsibility of replacing Murray.
Of the quartet, Randle has the most talent.
The fifth-round pick of the 2013 draft has quietly made an impressive start to his career on the field. He has averaged 4.8 yards per carry on 105 touches with five touchdowns and three 20-plus-yard runs. Randle's play improved from his rookie season to his second year, but off-field incidents overshadowed that.
Presuming the 23-year-old can stay out of trouble, he could conceivably be a secret weapon for the Cowboys—a player who justifies their actions this offseason.
As a running back in the Cowboys offense, you have to be an effective outside runner. The Cowboys primarily block for zone runs that ask the back to move horizontally with the blocking ahead of him before attacking a running lane.
With the quality of the Cowboys offensive line, it's often more important for the running back to take the yards he is given rather than be creative in this offense.
Randle appears to be perfectly suited to excel in this situation even though his consistency on a snap-to-snap basis must still be established through greater exposure. This play from the playoff game against the Green Bay Packers last year shows off Randle's physical and technical ability.
Center Travis Frederick makes a phenomenal block with surprising ease to set this run up. After left guard Ronald Leary held up the defensive tackle for a moment, Frederick reached around to his outside shoulder to get between him and Randle.
Randle is taking the ball off the left tackle without any penetrating defensive lineman to disrupt him as he advances toward the line of scrimmage.
In its simplest terms, the benefit of playing behind the Cowboys offensive line is that you can more easily cross the line of scrimmage. By solely relying on his initial speed, Randle is able to get outside of Frederick and into a wide-open running lane.
He has just one sharp movement to make in order to get deep into the secondary as he cuts back inside of the linebacker who is engaged by Leary.
From there, Randle accelerates into space before the other linebacker coming across the field hits him. He is first contacted after gaining a first down and eight yards. With a strong handoff, he is able to drag the linebacker forward for another five yards.
This kind of play isn't difficult, but it's the kind of play he needs to execute effectively every single time the offensive line wins up front.
Randle can't afford to be tempted by the sideline or be too hesitant trying to find a cutback lane. Making the right decisions and being decisive when making them is crucial for sustained success for any NFL running back but even more so for zone-runners.
Pressing holes that appear in front of you to cross the line of scrimmage is typically easier to do than efficiently recognizing cutback lanes. Recognizing cutback lanes is crucial because it can lead to big plays and also simply turn negative plays into positives when the defense is too aggressive.
This play highlights Randle's willingness to reverse his momentum and his ability to read his blockers effectively.
Once again, the Cowboys look to run to the left. This time the blocking isn't as clean initially, as tight end Jason Witten ignores the right outside linebacker to advance downfield. This appears to be by design as the fullback in the backfield lines up the free outside linebacker.
Because the outside linebacker is aggressive in attacking the fullback in the backfield, Randle is going to have to read his positioning against the block to make his move.
The linebacker attacks the inside shoulder of the fullback and wins at the point of contact. Because he attacked the inside instead of setting the edge on his opposite shoulder, Randle had already turned back inside to find another running lane.
Randle's instinct wasn't to run toward the sideline, where the defense was being drawn; instead he immediately looked to go against the grain to turn upfield instantly.
Cutting back allowed Randle to attack the gap between his right tackle and his right guard to advance downfield for a five-yard gain. He dragged the defensive end with him at the end of the play to create more yardage.
While Randle may not have planted his foot and angled aggressively back toward the opposition's end zone, he did turn quickly enough to attack an open running lane.
Most running backs with Randle's ability to create big plays are too tempted by the sideline to cut back into the gut of the defense. These kind of situations typically result in losses behind the line of scrimmage because they will always look to run past the fullback's outside shoulder.
Even in an offense that often incorporates lateral movement into the design of its plays, too much movement toward the sideline can be a major problem.
Significantly, each of Randle's big plays from the 2014 season showed off his discipline. He appears to understand that he doesn't need to force plays to the sideline to show off the impact of his straight-line speed.
Randle's fluidity and strength allow him to avoid and break tackles in space that also help to show off his vision.
While he may not have the same power and bulk that Murray showed off in a Cowboys uniform, his overall fluidity and effectiveness in space could make him just as dangerous behind an offensive line that is expected to improve.
The Cowboys are unlikely to replace Murray with just one back, but Randle appears set to carry most of the workload. ESPN's Todd Archer shares that expectation:
I don't think you will see a guy come close to 300 carries. It could work out better for McFadden to be a committee guy. He's not been able to stay healthy for most of his career. To me Randle is a better fit for the scheme and showed in small doses he has a feel for the Cowboys' scheme. There is a lot more to playing the position than just running the ball, but to me Randle should be the guy.
Archer notes that Randle is a good fit as a runner in the Cowboys offense but also hints that others may be better suited to contribute in the passing game. Dunbar and McFadden can both be adequate third-down backs if needed.
Trusting Randle in that role will come down to both his ability and availability. To remain available he needs to stay both healthy and out of trouble off the field.
Running backs coach Gary Brown spoke on Randle's maturity recently, per DallasCowboys.com's David Helman:
“I think he’s maturing up and he’s getting better, and he understands the opportunity he has in front of him, and I think he’ll take advantage. I think those days are behind him, and I [look] forward to [working] with Joe.”
While none of us can predict what will happen with Randle off the field, his play on the field suggests that he is ready to seize the opportunity that sits in front of him.
Even if the primary focus of this offseason will be on the backs the Cowboys passed on and their improvements on the defensive side of the ball, Randle could still prove to be a major piece of the offense moving forward.
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