Gus Johnson is the latest injured Cowboys running back

Gilmer native Gus Johnson is working with the first team at Cowboys training camp.

He hasn’t shown the Cowboys much since signing in March, days after Murray picked NFC East rival Philadelphia in free agency. But I’m out there now.

“I feel great. My back just locked up on me, but I’ll be alright”, he told reporters.

Because of his injury, Randle skipped the 17-7 loss to the Chargers while undrafted rookie Gus Johnson got most of the work, gaining 35 yards on 13 carries before going out with a separated shoulder that could sideline him for a while in camp. With all three RBs ahead of him on the depth chart (Randle, McFadden, Dunbar) expecting to return soon from injury, Johnson will see a decreased workload if he’s even healthy enough to practice in the first place. It was the biggest position battle for Dallas coming into camp, and a two-week delay didn’t change that much.

Dunbar, an undrafted player in his fourth year, has always been viewed as more of a specialty back whereas McFadden has the size (6-foot-1, 220 pounds) to be an every-down power back in the same mold as Murray.

Will the Dallas Cowboys’ rushing game take a step back this season without DeMarco Murray? The coaches know what they can do. Dallas hopes it isn’t too serious, but Jason Garrett revealed that, “it looks like a AC separation”. But, a veteran running back would stabilize the rotation, and might be able to contribute something running behind that offensive line for a few snaps a game. We will see this play out over the course of the season.

Since neither one of them are the second coming of Emmitt Smith, it would be nice if those two running backs could stay on the field, but injuries happen. He’s a smart player. This was the primary concern of many people after the Cowboys signed McFadden since he has spent a lot of his NFL career on the injury list. “So I think for us it’s just about going out and executing each play”. In a league where 46% of the time the margin of victory is seven points or less (15.6% of the time the game is decided by only three points) Bailey’s accuracy could give the Cowboys a huge advantage over teams with an unstable kicking situation and he might be the difference in whether or not the Cowboys are able to reach their lofty goals for 2015. The Cowboys waived S Ray Vinopal after he injured his left ankle against the Chargers.