IRVING, Texas – As the Cowboys focus on the offseason, training camp is still in sight.
Coming off two straight 8-8 seasons and three full seasons removed from the playoffs, the Cowboys have plenty of question marks surrounding them as they prepare for the 2013 season.
As we count down the days to camp, the writers of DallasCowboys.com will take a different question each day that is hovering over this team.
With 28 days until the Cowboys take the field in Oxnard, Calif., today's question centers on the backup running back.
28) How Similar Will The New Backup Running Back Be To Felix Jones?
Felix Jones was drafted in 2008 to be a complement to Marion Barber, who was the primary back.
It's been noted many times the Cowboys passed on a bevy of other backs, including Rashard Mendenhall, Chris Johnson and Ray Rice to make their pick.
After Jones left in free agency this year, the Cowboys wanted to bring in a backup running back built to handle a full load as an every-down back if need be. They selected Joseph Randle in the fifth round hoping to get another player with a style similar to Murray's, rather than one that's markedly different.
Randle hasn't been able to play thus far while dealing with a thumb injury, but he's expected to get going fully during training camp. How he'll be used during the season, though, remains to be seen, with Murray as the workhorse back as long as he's healthy.
Randle has tremendous expectations for a fifth-round pick. Even though Jones was a first-round selection, Randle will probably need to surpass Jones' production to be viewed as a success. Jones racked up 2,728 rushing yards during his time with the Cowboys in five seasons, hitting the 800-yard mark once.
How the Cowboys decide out to use Randle may determine how successful he'll be. For the first time since 2008, the Cowboys have a new primary backup in the backfield.
Sticking with our numerical journey to training camp, let's take a closer look at the number 28:
- The most famous No. 28 in Cowboys history has to be safety Darren Woodson, who wore the number from 1992-03. Since then, only Tyson Thompson and Jones have worn it.
- The most points the Cowboys have ever scored in a first quarter was 28, and they've done it twice once against Philadelphia in 1969 and another time against the Jets in 1971.
- The fewest pass attempts for both teams in a Cowboys game came in 1975 against the Jets, when both teams attempted a combined 28 passes.
- Kendial Lawrence currently wears the No. 28 for the Cowboys.
