The Dallas Cowboys cannot afford injuries. The team is entering a critical season where they can either capitalize off the progress of 2014 or revert back to their old ways. New additions will certainly help the effort, but key player losses put the pressure on others to step up. One player dealing with the pressure is Darren McFadden who has yet to take the field for training camp as injuries once again hold him back.
McFadden has been dealing with a hamstring injury that held him back in both OTAs and now training camp. The running back was signed to help replace DeMarco Murray and he has yet to really live up to expectations. Injuries are not helping the effort. According to head coach Jason Garrett via the Dallas Morning News, McFadden will be out at least another week, but the team is confident when he returns he will be a difference maker.
"We anticipate his plan to be that he is going to get more and more work on the side this week and then hopefully practice after San Diego," Garrett said, via the Dallas Morning News. "That might change. But that's the plan as we sit right now. Darren has done a very good job staying engaged with our team, very good in meetings, very good in the walkthrough. He's around it. He understands it. We just want to make sure he is ready to go before we put him out there."
For now, the run game is the Joseph Randle show. The Cowboys have stressed that they do not intend to add another body to the roster until they feel completely pressure to do so. That means players like Chris Johnson, Pierre Thomas and Steven Jackson will have to hope that McFadden underperforms when he finally returns healthy to the team.
While the run game is dealing with injuries, the secondary is also having issues. According to Todd Archer via ESPN, Brandon Carr will undergo surgery on a broken hand, but Garrett does not believe the injury will be a long-term issue. However, it will keep him out of practice which certainly helps other players step up and earn a spot on the depth chart. Byron Jones, Morris Claiborne and Orlando Scandrick are all battling to be starters with Carr. One player out of the mix opens the door for other options going forward.
