Timothy T. Ludwig – USA TODAY Sports
When the Buffalo Bills pulled the trigger on a trade for LeSean McCoy, it became abundantly clear that Rex Ryan wanted to continue to run a ground-and-pound offense with his new team. Ryan continued to add to the running back stable during the draft when he selected Karlos Williams out of Florida State. This created more adversity in their already crowded backfield, which consists of McCoy, Williams, Bryce Brown, Boobie Dixon and Fred Jackson.
That’s right. Fred Jackson. He seems to be the forgotten man of the bunch. The career Bills player will be entering his ninth season in the NFL this fall, and he has already hit age 34. That’s extremely old for a running back. Despite his age, Jackson has been productive over the last few seasons while being a part of a timeshare with C.J. Spiller. Jackson never was fully replaced by Spiller and he kept fighting to regain the starting job, which he was able to do thanks to his production level and injuries.
However, he will not be competing for the starting job anymore. He will be competing for a backup position. While his competitive fire will never allow him to quit in competition, this may be an uphill battle for Jackson. He’s on a one-year deal and he is surrounded by talented, younger, cheaper running backs. That’s a recipe for disaster.
I think that Jackson will not be on the team come Week 1, and I think that the Bills should trade him if they can get an offer. If they do put Jackson on the trade block, one team that I have to believe would be interested is the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys have one of the best offensive lines in the league, and they only got better with the additions of La’el Collins and Chaz Green during the draft. The issue is that the team lost DeMarco Murray in free agency, and they only brought in Darren McFadden to compete with Joseph Randle for the starting job. McFadden is injury-prone while Randle has made some boneheaded decisions off the field, so I have little faith in the backfield’s ability to be productive.
That’s what makes Jackson such a good fit in Dallas. He is a savvy veteran who is fairly reliable and would be highly successful running behind the team’s stellar offensive line. Sure, he would just be a one-year rental for the team, but I think that he would be the best running back on their roster if they acquired him.
The Cowboys also wouldn’t have to give up too much to get Jackson. They could just give the Bills a late-round pick, or ship a player like 31-year-old right tackle Doug Free to the Bills in exchange for Jackson and an early-mid round pick. I like the latter deal because it would open up playing time for La’el Collins at the right tackle position.
I just think that Jackson’s fit in Dallas is perfect. It makes too much sense for it not to happen. The Bills should realize that Jackson doesn’t really have a place on this team, and they should send him to a place where he can spend his final season or two as a starter.
Jacob Camenker is a Buffalo Bills Beat Writer for www.RantSports.com. You can “like” him on Facebook here, follow him on Twitter @jacobyhorse, or add him to your network on Google.
