Joseph Randle, the Dallas Cowboys' number one candidate for starting running back, was the latest backfield player to get injured in Jason Garrett's lineup after Darren McFadden and Lance Dunbar was hit by separate injuries early in training camp.

The 23-year-old suffered a strained oblique muscle in a training session on Monday and was unable to join the team for the rest of the night, as per the NFL's official website. McFadden, his rival for the starting spot, has been out since late July because of a recurring hamstring injury while third-stringer Dunbar was hampered by an ankle sprain last August 5.

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With Garrett's top three running backs possibly sidelined for their first preseason game against the San Diego Chargers on Thursday, the head coach is left with no choice but to use his two remaining back fielders, undrafted free agent rookie Gus Johnson and journeyman Lache Seastrunk, to carry the ball at the Qualcomm Stadium, as reported by the Dallas Cowboys website.

It was the worst thing that could possibly happen to the undermanned Cowboys backfield, which would never have happened if Randle was not getting too many reps this early in preseason training. However, the team has no choice since their two other running backs were previously injured before the former Oklahoma State standout was slowed down.

Randle was not too concerned about the temporary setback, though, and believed that he could return to play some preseason games for Dallas. He thought that he just needed a little bit of rest to let his body recuperate from all the stress.

"We're going to go in here and figure out what we've got to do to get it back right so I can get back out here," the Wichita native told reporters while leaving practice grounds.

McFadden is still on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list as his hamstring issues linger while Dunbar missed a fifth consecutive training camp day as he is still recovering from his ankle injury.

With this recent array of injuries, the official replacement for now Eagles' RB DeMarco Murray is still wide open, according to ESPN. Garrett is known to push his backs to the limit during training camps and this year was nothing new in Dallas.

Speculations abound that the untested Johnson will start at running back on Thursday versus the Chargers.

TagsNFL, NFL 2015, NFL news, NFL News 2015, NFL rumors, NFL Rumors 2015, Joseph Randle, Dallas Cowboys, Jason Garrett