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Who Will Be The Third Triplet For The Cowboys?

Last season the trio of Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, and DeMarco Murray posed one of the biggest offensive threats in the league. With these three Pro Bowlers, the Cowboys tried to replicate the 90’s Cowboys who went on to win three Super Bowls in 4 years. The 90’s Super Bowl winning teams consisted of Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmit Smith, and a great offensive line. The Cowboys had all the pieces in place last year, but will be without star running back DeMarco Murray this year. Murray is off to Philadelphia after signing a 5 year deal worth $42 million a couple weeks ago. Now the Cowboys will have to determine if his replacement is currently on the roster, in the draft, or living in Minnesota at the moment.

The Cowboys signed Darren McFadden in free agency to compete with the running backs currenty on the roster. Right now those running backs include Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar, and Ryan Williams. With those four options, many believe the Cowboys have their replacement on the roster. Randle showed signs last year, but has not proven himself enough to be trusted as a number one back. Dunbar is good on screen plays and can catch the ball well, but is not the type of back to handle a load of carries. Williams has been injured throughout his career and remains on the practice squad, and McFadden has dealt with the same issues as Williams. I believe the Cowboys will look to bring on another running back, and there are plenty of options in the draft.

The Cowboys are reportedly bringing in Melvin Gordon, Todd Gurley, Tevin Coleman, Jay Ajayi, and Ameer Abdullah to Dallas for a visit. These 5 players are widely regarded as the top running backs in the draft. Gordon and Gurley will likely be first round picks and if either is available at 27, would be great value. I believe Gordon and Gurley are game-changers with Pro Bowl potential. The other three grade out somewhere in the second round, but they may not be available with the 60th overall pick. If the Cowboys pass on a running back in the first round and Abdullah, Coleman, or Ajayi are available in the second round, any one of them could come in and have a chance to start right away. I believe Abdullah is the third best running back in the draft, but may not be as good of a fit for the Cowboys as Coleman or Ajayi. Coleman holds many comparisons to DeMarco Murray. He has a very similar down hill running style and possesses many of the same physical traits as Murray. A few other option in the early-mid rounds include Duke Johnson, TJ Yeldon, David Cobb, and Javorius Allen. Out of this crop, Yeldon would be the best fit for Dallas. The draft is extremely deep at running back this year, and a quality starter can absolutely be found somewhere throughout it.

The final option at running back would be Adrian Peterson. Speculation surrounding the Cowboys has been that Adrian Peterson would be coming in via trade from Minnesota. Jerry and Stephen Jones have not hidden the admiration they have for Peterson, and Peterson has expressed interest in coming to Dallas as well. Peterson’s salary cap number is around $13 million in 2015, and increasing over the following two years. Dallas may not be in the market for such an expensive back, but if Peterson is willing to restructure his contract to facilitate a trade, it is possible. Tony Romo recently restructured his contract to clear $12.8 million in cap space, so they have a little more flexibility to work out a deal as of now. The other issue is what Minnesota will want back in compensation for Peterson. If the Vikings want a 1st round pick, they might be asking too much in return for a 30-year-old running back with such a high cap hit. If the Cowboys can get Minnesota to part ways with Peterson for less than a 1st round pick, I believe it would be a tremendous move for Dallas. Putting Peterson on an offense with Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, and one of the best offensive lines in football is a scary thought. Coming off a torn ACL and MCL, on a Minnesota team with no real receiving threat, a below average quarterback, and a mediocre offensive line, Peterson rushed for over 2,000 yards and was 9 yards away from breaking the single season rushing record. When teams played Minnesota they had one goal on defense. Stop Adrian Peterson, and many teams failed to do so. Putting Peterson on Dallas would allow him to fully excel and immediately make Dallas a Super Bowl contender in 2015.

Whether or not Dallas is actually interested in making a trade for Peterson is still unknown, but the front office has made it clear they will consider bringing in another running back. I believe Peterson should be the focus but if Minnesota sticks to their guns and hangs on to him, Gordon or Gurley in the first round should become the next priority. DeMarco Murray was an intricate part of Dallas’ offense last year, and in order to remain a threat in the NFC, they must have a successful running attack.

Author: Troy Altbaum

Troy Altbaum, writer for The Runner Sports and lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan. Get all your latest Cowboys news and analysis here.