Jerry Jones: Darren McFadden has earned the starting job

Darren McFadden has earned the starting running back job when the Dallas Cowboys play against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Jerry Jones said Tuesday.

McFadden played 59 of 73 snaps, with Joseph Randle leaving after only five plays with a strained oblique. The No. 4 overall pick in 2008 had 31 touches against the New York Giants, including 29 rushes for 152 yards and a touchdown.

“I think that was the McFadden that you saw as a collegiate player but also the one that merited the [fourth] pick of the draft,” Jones said on his weekly radio show on 105.3 The Fan. “You saw him use extraordinary burst. Deion Sanders not only was he fast, but from a standing start to a full-blown run, he did it in probably the quickest of any athlete who’s played in the NFL. McFadden’s got that. He’s got that burst, and you see it really to the outside. It looks like to the eye that he makes a yard or 2 if that and they move the chains down 6 or 7 yards.”

It was the Cowboys’ first 100-yard rushing game this season, and their 233 rushing yards was their most team rushing yards since Week 7 in 2011.

Jones said that has earned McFadden the starting job, which has belonged to Randle all season.

“Yes,” Jones said. “You talk about cream coming to the top. That’s what you look for. …It’s not necessarily when you’d like for it to come, and that’s the third game of preseason where you’re going to see if it’s all put together out there. But he’s certainly shown in a very competitive situation what we’d hoped he’s capable of doing. He should just continue to get better. He really was the complete package out there the other day.”

This story was originally published October 27, 2015 at 9:57 AM with the headline "Jerry Jones: Darren McFadden has earned the starting job."