Darren McFadden played seven seasons with the Oakland Raiders and never lived up to the hype of one of the best running backs in the NFL. After his seven lackluster seasons with the Raiders, McFadden has been welcomed by the Dallas Cowboys with open arms. On Monday, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports that McFadden is rejuvenated, and primed for a big season with the 2014 NFC East champions.
In a story first reported by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, McFadden’s statements during a football camp at Little Rock Air Force Base were embracing the fresh start in Dallas. “It’s great to be in Dallas. ” McFadden continued, “I’m looking forward to getting on the field with those guys and doing great things this year. “ It’s “definitely exciting“ for McFadden and he’s not shy about his feelings on playing with the Cowboys. “I tell everybody I feel like a rookie all over again,” McFadden reiterated.
So far, everything has been good since he was acquired by the Dallas Cowboys. However, all of this excitement comes with a caveat. McFadden has only played all 16 games once in his NFL career. It happened to come last season with the Raiders. Otherwise, McFadden hasn’t played more than 13 games, so durability is a big issue for the Cowboys’ running back.
Still, McFadden is confident in his ability to help the Cowboys reach the Super Bowl. “I just want to go out there, stay healthy and run the ball the way I know I can run the ball.” If he’s able to replace DeMarco Murray’s production, then Dallas will be in great shape of dethroning the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC. For McFadden, this could be easier said than done.
He’s only rushed for over 1100 yards once, during his seven year career. In addition, NFL.com points out that McFadden hasn’t averaged more than 3.4 yards per carry in the last three seasons. Hopefully, McFadden will be a product of the Cowboys’ dominating offensive line. If not, he will be relegated to a back up running back spot. Based on his comments entering training camp, McFadden is ready to be the lead guy. However, the Cowboys have quite a bit of talent at the same position.
Joseph Randle played a stellar brand of football, backing up Murray last season. In addition, his 6.7 yards per carry average was incredible. Randle feels he is ready to receive the bulk of the carries this season. Dallas also has Lance Dunbar, Ryan Williams, and Lache Seastrunk on the roster. “I’m just going out there and making plays,” McFadden said. “Right now, we don’t know much. We just know we’re competing for a job.” As long as positions are up for grabs, this should be one of the great training camp battles in Dallas.
Despite an hamstring injury earlier in the year, McFadden and the rest of the running backs should be healthy at the start of training camp.
