RBs Coach: Randle Understands Opportunity in Front of Him

If Joseph Randle can keep his nose clean, there seems a good chance he could take over as the Cowboys’ primary back in DeMarco Murray’s absence. After all, he is coming off a year in which he rushed for 343 yards on 51 carries, an average of 6.7 yards per carry, and three touchdowns.

But it hasn’t been all roses for Randle recently. Last October he was arrested for shoplifting a tester bottle of cologne and a pack of underwear from a mall in Frisco, an incident that became a running joke in North Texas for awhile. Then back in February, he was arrested on drug charges after police responding to a domestic violence call in Kansas found marijuana in his hotel room. He was investigated for the domestic violence accusation and ultimately wasn’t charged with anything, but the NFL could still discipline Randle under the personal conduct policy.

Running backs coach Gary Brown admitted a little concern on the part of the team over Randle, but believes he’s seen the 23-year-old mature even just over the span of this offseason.

“I think Joe really has to make sure he takes care of everything on and off the field,” Brown said, per the Dallas Morning News. “We want to trust Joe, we like Joe, but we want to make sure he’s going to be with us at all times.

“I think he’s maturing up and he’s getting better and he understands the opportunity he has in front of him and I think he’ll take full advantage. I think those days are behind him and we’re looking forward to working with Joe. ... Just being around him these last few weeks, he seems to be more mature to me. He and I have sat down and had one-on-one conversations about his future and I think he wants to go in the right direction.”