"Tashard Choice chooses to be a good teammate who doesn't rant about role. That doesn't mean he's satisfied to be the third wheel in the Cowboys' running back rotation.

Like any competitor, Choice wants to be a main cog. He' s proven to be more than capable when injuries to Marion Barber or Felix Jones forced the coaches to increase Choice's role.

But Choice understands that, for the time being, his job is to serve as insurance while playing bit roles as the third-down back and Razorback trigger man. He gets that splitting carries three ways would make it difficult for any of the running backs to get in a rhythm, but that doesn't make standing on the sideline any easier.

"It sucks," Choice said on ESPN 103.3's The Ben & Skin Show this week, "but you have to try and understand the big picture."

The big picture for Choice is that he has a chance to contribute in a limited role for a contender right now, and he believes he'll eventually get a chance to carry a much larger share of the load. He just doesn't know whether that will happen with the Cowboys or another team. "