Dallas Cowboys

Lance Dunbar on Cowboys' RBs: We're all confident we can start

Published Jun. 23, 2015 3:07 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Dallas Cowboys' upcoming running back training camp battle projects to be the most interesting among any position group in the NFL. After allowing DeMarco Murray to walk in free agency, the Cowboys will turn to a group of unproven younger backs and one veteran. Running back Lance Dunbar confirmed that each back truly believes he can start, and each back enters camp with the expectation of winning the lead back role.

“We’re all confident,” Dunbar said of Dallas’ running backs, per the Dallas Morning News. “We all feel like we can be starters in this league and play in this league.”

Dunbar is no stranger to what the media has been writing and saying about the Cowboys' running back group this offseason.

“It’s kind of disrespectful, some of the things that they say,” Dunbar said. “But we just have to go out there and when it’s time to play, we have to play. We just talk with our play, not with what we say.”

A major factor in Dunbar's confidence is the play of the Cowboys' dominant offensive line. This unit finishes as the second-best run blocking unit in 2014, per Pro Football Focus. They return all five starters.

“It’s great,” Dunbar said. “Those guys have been leading the way. They led the way for DeMarco and you saw what they did for him. Having those guys up front is huge for your confidence. We just run through holes, and they make them for us. It’s pretty exciting.”

Dunbar adds another element to the Cowboys' backfield thanks to his unique ability to make defenders miss in space and get open as a receiver out of the slot or leaking out of the backfield.

This is what Lance Dunbar brings. Motion him to the slot, 1v1 w/ a LB... Like takin candy from a baby pic.twitter.com/HibJ8lLB5B
— Joey Ickes (@JoeyIckes) June 13, 2015

So far things have gone exceptionally well for Dunbar. Although Joseph Randle has taken the majority of first team running back reps, Dunbar has mixed in more than other back aside from Randle. Dunbar has also made the most noise for his performance during OTA and mini-camp practices.

(h/t Dallas Morning News)

Photo Credit: Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

Lance Dunbar's name continues to surface in Cowboys' backfield

Lance Dunbar on pace to earn Cowboys' passing down RB role