The Dallas Cowboys just got some rather unsettling news.
Their starting running back Joseph Randle will miss some time during preseason with a slight oblique strain. Randle has been getting a ton of carries in training camp largely due to the absence of Darren McFadden who has been hampered with a hamstring injury for most of training camp. His reps were divided between Randle and Lance Dunbar. Dunbar sprained his ankle and now also must wait to return to the field.
This meant a lot of carries fell on Randle's shoulders and eventually he too got banged up. Now the Cowboys are left without their starting three running backs for the first preseason game. The Cowboys have explored plenty of options in practice including letting Tyler Clutts, the teams fullback, get some carries on goal line situations.
Clutts is strictly a blocker so this was probably just done to spell Seastrunk and Johnson. This leaves an incredible opportunity for the two youngest backs on the roster to make a great impression against real competition. If Johnson and/or Seastrunk set themselves apart from the other backs on the roster they could be doing a lot more than just work on the practice squad when the regular season rolls around.
The other scenario is what if Johnson and Seastrunk do not play well or also find themselves injured in the game where do the Cowboys go from there?
The answer is pretty simple or at least according to NFL analyst/2 time Super Bowl Champion Rodney Harrison, Ray Rice. Harrison stated
"Give Ray Rice a try, outside of the whole PR thing, you give this guy an opportunity he may come in and surprise you," he said. "You don't have to pay him a lot of money, you're not giving him a signing bonus and if he's terrible, cut him. If he doesn't look like the old Ray Rice, cut him."
Since the beginning of the offseason the Cowboys have denied any interest in Rice or any running back that's not their own so signing Rice probably won't happen. I would be surprised if Gus Johnson does not make a play for more playing time during the preseason, he is too good of a back not to get noticed and he has the faith of the starting quarterback, Tony Romo. Romo had this to say about Johnson,
"Gus did a good job yesterday. We had a short yardage and goal line. It's hard because you don't have live so you don't have the chance to show your ability to break a tackle, maybe get through a gap with a thud, not being a thud, it's not a tackle. I just think he showed a little bit when we were live yesterday in some of the shortage. He's got a chance."