After four mostly uneventful seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Lance Dunbar is looking for his next NFL team, and is likely to end up playing for either the Seattle Seahawks or the San Francisco 49ers.
The 26-year old running back has met with both teams. The Seahawks did find a way to replace Marshawn Lynch last season with Thomas Rawls, but they’re obviously trying to find more than just him heading into their first season without Lynch, who retired last season, announcing it after the Super Bowl. The 49ers need improvement in just about every possible position, and while Dunbar isn’t your classic every-down kind of running back, his pass-catching ability could be quite helpful, especially in a Chip Kelly offense.
Dunbar didn’t do much during his first two seasons in Dallas, going undrafted in 2012 after playing for North Texas. He played in all 16 games for the Cowboys in 2014, the year DeMarco Murray scorched the earth and led the league in rushing. Dunbar got only 29 carries, but he was also used in the passing game with 18 receptions for 217 yards, including one for 40 yards, his longest receiving play to date (his rushing career high is 45).
Dunbar, who also did some punt returning during his four years in Dallas, had a nice start to the 2015 season with 21 receptions in four games, picking up 215 yards while averaging 13.4 yards per carry in five rushes. However, he tore his ACL and didn’t play again that season, and the Cowboys decided they aren’t picking him up. Now, a pass-catching running back is always a useful thing to have. It seems now the only decision left to make is which end of the NFC West rivalry Dunbar wants to be part of. Dunbar, in 41 career games for the Cowboys, has yet to score a touchdown.