After being sidelined for several weeks dealing with a hamstring issue, Dallas Cowboys running back Darren McFadden returned to practice and took reps with the first team.
Tuesday’s session was McFadden’s chance to strut his stuff, since running back Joseph Randle sidelined with an oblique strain. From how excited Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was was after practice, he seems to believe we can expect the world out of McFadden this fall, per Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. Jones said:
“McFadden hit that thing for the first time up in there and showed some real stuff, and he sure showed some real burst in a couple of drills where they weren’t just full tackling. Boy, if we can keep him out there, he’ll tear their you know what up.”
Darren McFadden vs. Alec Ogletree pic.twitter.com/JJtHBYvxGi
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 17, 2015
It’s awesome that Jones is so stoked after just one successful practice out of McFadden which did include a pair of touchdowns. And, Jones comments align perfectly with how much he has praised McFadden since signing the 27-year-old, claiming that the Cowboys “might really have something here.”
Perhaps this is finally the season that McFadden remains healthy enough to start in all 16 games, something he never accomplished during seven seasons with the Oakland Raiders.
While we don’t want to rain on Jones’ parade, the reality is McFadden has the cards stacked against him when it comes to injuries. If he remains somewhat healthy, he’ll reportedly be part of a running back committee that splits carries between DMC, Randle and Lance Dunbar.
Realistically, if McFadden does do “tear their you know what up” a bit, we can expect roughly 160 attempts for around 650 rushing yards and five touchdowns behind a stout Dallas offensive line. That number takes into consideration McFadden’s career mark of 4.1 yards per carry.
Fantasy football enthusiasts should definitely not buy into Jones’ over-exaggerated hype.