The preseason made it clear the Cowboys don't have a quality starter at running back. Do they have one now? Well, maybe.
Seattle traded Christine Michael to Dallas, and maybe that shouldn't be overrated. Michael has generally been a disappointment, and wasn't even a lock to make the final roster in Seattle. He was behind Marshawn Lynch, Fred Jackson and undrafted Thomas Rawls.
But in Dallas, they've got nothing but disappointing backs. Joseph Randle hadn't done anything in the preseason after being handed the starting job. Darren McFadden doesn't look nearly as good as he once did (and has had a disappointing career in general).
Little reason to think Michael can't gradually move past those other backs, once he picks up the offense and one or both of them disappoint, or get hurt.
Michael has some issues of his own. He needs to hang onto the football, first and foremost. And he'll need to learn the offense.
But the opportunity will probably be there for him, and maybe a fresh start is what he needs. And he looks more promising than the other possibilities mentioned for Dallas the last few days (Montee Ball, Terrance West).
We'll see what Ian thinks of Michael; he may be more or less optimistic than me. Too much risk, I think, to select too highly in drafts -- it's entirely possible you'd have to wait a month or more before he even sees the field in Dallas. He's not going to be handed the starting job.
Won't be surprising to me, though, if he's there by midseason. I wasn't about to draft Randle or McFadden anyway, and I definitely won't now. Michael is the one I'd look to take in the later rounds, if he's there, and see what happens.
--Andy Richardson
