Darren McFadden Signing Shows Dallas Cowboys Have Utmost Faith In Offensive Line
By Jerry Landry
@jerry2landry
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
It’s hard to believe that Darren McFadden is already an NFL veteran. The now former Oakland Raiders running back enters his eighth season in the league and will likely begin the 2015 NFL regular season as a contributor to the Dallas Cowboys.
According to Ian Rapoport, McFadden has signed a two-year, $5.85 million deal with America’s Team. To date, the 2008 NFL Combine has been McFadden’s best performance so far, an effort in which he posted a 4.33 time in the 40-yard dash. At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, if McFadden can patiently provide this speed with every carry, it could be devastating when combined with the Cowboys’ massive offensive line.
A lot of signings through the 2015 free agency season have been dictated by upside. Every player has essentially been overpaid, and nearly every contract has generated concern for the back-end years. A two-year agreement with McFadden, however, alleviates the issues with the latter, as the Cowboys are now in position to challenge McFadden to prove his worth and possibly see if the rarely-used running back can handle an increased workload.
McFadden has rushed in excess of 1,000 yards just once in his career (2010) and has never eclipsed 225 annual carries. If I were McFadden, I’d already be in the weight room working on my durability. The Cowboys exhaust running backs like Jim Leyland chain-smokes cigarettes ever since the team taxed Emmitt Smith with over 4,000 carries throughout the 90s and early 2000s. Asking McFadden if he’s up to the task is a loaded question. It’s without a doubt that this former Arkansas Razorbacks standout will get a shot to be born again in pro football, but it’s still doubtful if he’ll ever convert his talent into triumph.
Jerry Landry is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow Jerry on Twitter at @Jerry2Landry, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on Google.
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