Dunbar (knee) was placed on injured reserve Saturday, ESPN's Todd Archer reports.

This comes as no surprise as Dunbar had surgery earlier in the week to repair a torn ACL and he also has a partially torn MCL. The Cowboys signed wide receiver Vince Mayle to take Dunbar's spot on the roster.

Dunbar is slated to undergo surgery to repair his torn left ACL, ESPN.com reports.

Per the report, Dunbar -- who is a candidate for IR -- also suffered a partially torn MCL during Sunday's game against the Saints. Now that he is no longer in the Cowboys' backfield mix, Joseph Randle, Darren McFadden and Christine Michael are left to handle the team's running back duties going forward.

The Cowboys fear that Dunbar (knee) tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee during Sunday's loss to the Saints, Todd Archer of ESPN Dallas reports.

The injury didn't look good and the Cowboys aren't optimistic. Although nothing will be official until after Monday's MRI, Dunbar will likely miss a good chunk of the season, if not the rest of the year. His absence would leave a big void in the Dallas offense, as he caught 21 passes for 215 yards in the first three games, highlighted by a 10-catch, 100-yard outburst in Week 3. It's unclear whether the Cowboys prefer Joseph Randle or Darren McFadden for passing downs, as both likely represent a significant downgrade from Dunbar.

Dunbar left Sunday's game against the Saints with a knee injury and has been ruled out for the rest of the contest, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Dunbar's left knee buckled as he tried to make a cut on the opening kickoff of the second half. It looked like a serious injury, and he wasn't able to put any weight on his left foot. If he misses time, the Cowboys will likely turn to Darren McFadden and/or Joseph Randle on passing downs. Dunbar has been very active in that role, catching 21 passes for 215 yards, with another 67 yards on five carries. He wasn't targeted in Sunday's game, but he did run for 54 yards on just three totes, providing nearly all of his rushing total for the season.

Dunbar led the Cowboys with 10 catches on 10 targets for 100 yards in Sunday's loss to the Falcons. He also carried the ball once for five yards.

Brandon Weeden made almost no effort to look downfield, confining himself to short routes and check-downs with Dunbar emerging as his favorite option. Expect the undersized back to remain a big part of the passing game as long as Weeden is under center.

Dunbar caught three passes on five targets for 45 yards Sunday, adding one carry for eight yards.

Most of the damage came on a 39-yard strike down the sideline from Tony Romo in the third quarter, right before Romo was injured. With the Cowboys starting quarterback now out for two months or longer due to a broken clavicle though, Dunbar's role in the offense doesn't figure to improve with Brandon Weeden under center, as the team will likely focus more on its run game.

Dunbar caught all eight of his targets for 70 yards in Sunday's 27-26 win over the Giants.

Dunbar didn't have any carries but got most of the passing-down work, which led to a busy second half as the Cowboys successfully mounted a comeback. Dunbar notably picked up 40 yards on two receptions on the first two plays of the Cowboys' game-winning drive, taking advantage of a New York defense that was mostly focused on stopping intermediate and deep passes. Dunbar could have some quiet weeks when the Cowboys are able to sit on a lead, but he showed Sunday that he'll likely be a key part of the offense when the team falls behind.

Dunbar had one carry for one yard in Saturday's preseason game against the Vikings.

Although he didn't get any targets, Dunbar did see significant work with the first-team offense on passing downs, as will likely be the case when the season begins. The team seems to view him as mostly a change-of-pace or passing-down option, but Dunbar could eventually land a larger role if Joseph Randle and/or Darren McFadden are injured or ineffective.

Dunbar (ankle) had two receptions for three yards in Sunday's preseason game against the 49ers.

Dunbar served as the third-down back with the first-team offense, then later saw a few early-down snaps. He probably won't get many carries, at least early in the season, but the Cowboys hope he can emerge as a useful pass-catching back.

Dunbar (ankle) was a limited participant in Saturday's practice, David Helman of DallasCowboys.com reports.

The Cowboys signed two new RBs (Ben Malena and Michael Hill) this weekend to provide some depth in camp, so they won't need to rush Dunbar back into action. The change-of-pace back is still expected to be ready for Week 1 against the Giants.

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said after Thursday's preseason game that Dunbar (ankle) was on schedule to return to practice Saturday, the Dallas Morning News reports.

Darren McFadden (hamstring) is also expected to rejoin the backfield Saturday, so the battle for snaps with Joseph Randle appears ready to begin in earnest. Dunbar will likely only have a passing-down role this season, but he should see more touches than he did last season behind DeMarco Murray.

Dunbar injured his right ankle in practice, but Cowboys Executive Stephen Jones does not believe it is a serious injury, Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Dunbar injured the ankle during a run out of the backfield and the Cowboys should provide an update regarding the running back's status as soon as they know more. Dunbar is currently playing as the third string running back for the Cowboys behind Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden, but has also been getting some work returning kicks and punts on special teams, giving him some added value.

Dunbar has seen work as both a punt and kick returner early in training camp.

The Cowboys need to find a replacement for Dwayne Harris, and Dunbar appears to be getting one of the first looks. Becoming the main return man would boost Dunbar's fantasy profile, especially in leagues that count return yards, but it wouldn't be a positive sign that the team intends to get him more touches on offense.

Dunbar could be in line for more touches this season after the Cowboys failed to select a running back in this year's draft.

None of the other current residents of the club's depth chart (oft-injured Darren McFadden, plodding Joseph Randle and his off-field issues, fragile practice squad holdover Ryan Williams and UDFA Synjyn Days) seem likely to be an every down back, so Dunbar could see more third down action than he did when DeMarco Murray was in town. The Cowboys' elite offensive line is certainly capable of making any back a fantasy asset, but Dunbar will need to shake off his own injury-prone label and prove he still has game-changing speed and elusiveness if he's going to be worth an investment.

Dunbar signed his one-year contract tender with the Cowboys, worth $1.54 million, the team's official site reports.

Dunbar, who has worked in a third-down role over the past two season, will return to a Dallas backfield that had bid adieu to starter DeMarco Murray and has since added Darren McFadden. The team's RB depth chart also includes Joseph Randle and Ryan Williams, though we suspect that the Cowboys will add further depth at the position, at or around the upcoming NFL Draft.

Dunbar had two carries for four yards and two catches for 10 yards in Sunday's 42-7 win over the Colts.

Dunbar is clearly third in the pecking order for carries in Dallas, well behind DeMarco Murray (22 carries) and Joseph Randle (13 carries). Even if the Cowboys decide to rest Murray next week for the playoffs, Dunbar would still only have flex value in very deep leagues.

Dunbar carried five times for 22 yards in Sunday's win over the Eagles.

While Dunbar's Week 15 numbers weren't anything remarkable, with DeMarco Murray iffy for Sunday's game against the Colts, Dunbar is a candidate to see added work in Week 16, along with Joseph Randle. If Murray ends out sitting out this weekend's contest, we'd expect some form of time-share to be in play, with Dunbar's change-of-pace skills potentially setting him up for some deep league utility in such a scenario

Dunbar, and not Joseph Randle, was the first running back off the bench Sunday, rushing three times for nine yards and catching both his targets for 52 yards.

Dunbar's ability to turn short passes into big gains gives him some upside as a change-of-pace back, but it would take a DeMarco Murray injury for him to have any real fantasy value in most leagues.

Dunbar was a little more involved in the game plan Sunday, catching four passes on four targets for 48 yards. He also lost four yards on his only carry.

Both Dunbar and Joseph Randle were used a little more this week as the Cowboys start to ease back the throttle on DeMarco Murray. Murray will still get the bulk of the touches out of the backfield, but expect both Randle and Dunbar to remain in the mix going forward.

For the third time in four games Dunbar didn't get any carries on Sunday, but he did catch two of his three targets for 36 yards.

DeMarco Murray has been a beast in the backfield so far for the Cowboys, and the club has had little reason to work Dunbar into the mix. It will likely take an injury to Murray for Dunbar to get a sniff of significant fantasy value.