Dallas Cowboys Rumors: Starting Running Back Released – Tony Romo’s Return Date Known
The Dallas Cowboys’ stressful and confusing 2015 NFL season just got a bit more complicated. A week after starting running back Joseph Randle was injured and speaking to NFL investigators, the Cowboys are going to be releasing him. The troubled young back really did go from starter to without a job in almost no time at all. Some good news is that Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones is rather sure he knows when starting quarterback Tony Romo is coming back from his injury.
On a day when many are wondering who will be traded and to where before the NFL’s deadline hits on Tuesday afternoon, the Cowboys are getting rid of players.
The #Cowboys are releasing RB Joseph Randle, source says (as @clarencehilljr reported). From starter to unemployed.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 3, 2015
ESPN has confirmed that the Cowboys did indeed release Randle early on Tuesday afternoon.
Randle didn’t play in Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and that was when Jones began speaking on his concern about the running back.
“I’m always concerned as to any issues regarding the [mental] health of a player. It’s a lot more serious than the football [injury].”
Joseph Randle has had a number of brushes with the law in the past year alone, and he was excused from the team last Wednesday. He is facing possible discipline from the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy in a Kansas incident this past Winter.
The Dallas Cowboys have said that Randle is dealing with a serious “personal issue” on top of the situation with the NFL, suffering an injury, and losing his starting job. He was in hot water with coaches earlier this season for continuously diving over the goal line and extending the ball out even when they told him not to do it.
Darren McFadden has been playing well since moving up to Randle’s starting spot for the last couple of weeks. His status as a starter is now cemented in place for the time being with Christine Michael serving as his primary back-up.
In a little bit more positive news, Jerry Jones is optimistic that Tony Romo is going to return quite soon from his injury. The Dallas News reports that Romo, who has been out since breaking his left clavicle on Sept. 20, is eligible to begin practicing again this week.
Not just that, but Jones truly believes that his starting quarterback will be back and ready to start later this month. Romo is eligible to return to playing in games on Nov. 22 when the Dallas Cowboys face off with the Miami Dolphins.
“No. There’s no reason. He’s really doing well. You’d like to say ahead of schedule but who knows about that? But still, I know of no reason he won’t be playing at that time.”
“He’s very involved. He’s, of course, going to be mentally ready. He stays ready there. But he’ll hopefully have the opportunity to physically get ready over these next two or three weeks. Hopefully we can get him some work in at practice and obviously will the week of the game. Hopefully we can get him some work in during these times right now.”
Jones seems firmly set in place with Romo starting for the Cowboys against the Dolphins, and the only better news is if he could play this week. Dallas started off the season 2-0 with a promising year ahead of them, but they’ve since lost five straight after Romo went out with his injury and was replaced by Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel.
If Tony Romo can’t go by the Dolphins game on Nov. 22, the Cowboys do turn around a few days later and play the Carolina Panthers on Thanksgiving Day.
The Dallas Cowboys are in a whirlwind of a season, and the release of starting running back Joseph Randle is only the latest chapter. If they can get one or two wins before Tony Romo’s return, then the season may be salvageable, but it’s still something that actually needs to happen and happen now.
[Image via Getty Images]
