With DeMarco Murray’s departure, the Dallas Cowboys could finally carve out a more defined role in the offense for Lance Dunbar in 2015.
Dunbar has shown flashes in very limited time since coming to the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of North Texas in 2012, but he’s never had more than 30 carries in a season.
We actually may have seen a preview of how the team will use him in 2015 last year, when he had a career-high 18 catches for 217 yards--and it’s no coincidence that the year Dunbar’s role as receiver grew was also Scott Linehan’s first year with the team. He used Reggie Bush and Joique Bell as receivers out of the backfield to great success in Detroit.
Dunbar’s role, both as a receiver and a runner, figures to grow in 2015.
"Sometimes he doesn't play as many plays as some of the other guys, but when you look at his production within the plays that he has, it's usually pretty good," said head coach Jason Garrett, per Todd Archer of ESPN Dallas. "He's usually a difference maker. He's a really smart football player. He's talented. He's quick. He's fast and explosive, has great intuition and instincts for the game. We try to use him a lot of different ways, and when we have used him he's been effective for us. You're always trying to give those guys more opportunities."
