Cowboys Release Darius Jackson To Make Room For McFadden
By: Mike Fisher
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FRISCO (105.3 The Fan) - The "Three-Week What-If Window'' closed at 3 p.m. Tuesday, shutting down a roster chance for Jaylon Smith while opening a path for Darren McFadden to rejoin the Cowboys' 53-man roster — but costing Dallas the services of rookie running back Darius Jackson.
McFadden is now officially in, activated from the NFI list, and will be available for Dallas's Week 15 game against the Buccaneers. To make room for him, Dallas cut Jackson, the sixth-rounder who the team views as very promising — but expendable in these circumstances.
McFadden has been shelved all year after breaking his elbow in the offseason. His return as one of the backups to Ezekiel Elliott gives Dallas a crowded running backs room. … even without Jackson, who hadn't been activated to the 46-man game-day roster all season and will now be exposed to waivers, with other teams getting the chance to grab him.
McFadden — the NFL's fourth-leading rusher in 2015, with 1,089 yards in his first year as a Cowboy — isn't likely to take any carries away from Zeke. But he could compete with Alfred Morris as the No. 2 guy, he could take over for the smallish Lance Dunbar as the third-down back, and he is capable of returning kickoffs in place of incumbent Lucky Whitehead.
Smith, the rookie linebacker from Notre Dame, has a chance to be a star if and when the nerves in his knee re-fire. But as expected, 2016 is a "medical redshirt year'' for him.
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