The Dallas Cowboys maintained full confidence in Darren McFadden when they signed the running back to replace leading rusher, DeMarco Murray. Despite two failed stints with the Oakland Raiders and a number of injuries, owner Jerry Jones stressed that he was the man that would maintain the run game. Even when injuries crept back in, Jones was confident in McFadden. Now that the running back has finally made his practice debut, he is immediately inserted as the starter.
McFadden's debut with the Cowboys took some time. The running back suffered a hamstring injury that forced him on the PUP list. However, now officially on the field, McFadden is taking all of the first-team reps for the Cowboys. According to Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, McFadden took all of the first-team reps for the Cowboys and looked strong in passing drills causing Jones to stress once again that running back is a quality option to start.
"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," Jones said, via NFL.com. "Boy, if we can keep him out there, he'll tear their you know what up."
Keeping McFadden healthy is the issue. The running back has never played a full season in the league, always dealing with some kind of injury setback. Hamstring injuries have been the biggest issue for McFadden and will likely continue to play a role in his career. Some might say the only reason McFadden got the first-team reps is because he is the only healthy running back. Joseph Randle, Gus Johnson and Lance Dunbar are all missing time for injuries.
Jones has no desire to sign a veteran for depth at the moment. According to Wesseling, Jones' confidence in McFadden is through the roof and impacting the decision to bring someone in for help. With Chris Johnson off the market, Pierre Thomas, Ray Rice and Steven Jackson all remain as options. According to team vice president Stephen Jones, the Cowboys have a short-list of free agents they would look at if needed, but for the time being they believe they have the best rotation.
McFadden will remain with the first team until Randle returns. The two backs are expected to compete for the starting spot. Many believe Randle could be the eventual starter in Dallas, but for now McFadden is getting more reps which could sway the decision.