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Michael McAdoo is finally healthy and could make noise for this Cowboys' defensive front.
The old adage is that if you like a player the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens like, then you're in pretty good shape. So when the Cowboys found out that the Ravens had interest in Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys decided not to trade back in case the Ravens were going to draft him despite promising that they wouldn't. In the second round, the Patriots had serious interest in Jaylon Smith, but when the Cowboys drafted Smith, the Patriots traded back. Both scouting departments aren't perfect, but if there are two scouting departments to mirror in the NFL, the Ravens and the Patriots are the two pretty good candidates.
Each year, NFL teams sign players to futures contracts. And while they usually don't mean much at the time, the contracts have the potential to pay off huge dividends in the future. That is the exact case what the Cowboys hope will happen with Michael McAdoo, a name you have probably never heard of in your life. And if you have, it's probably because you're thinking of James Michael McAdoo, the forward on the Golden State Warriors. As referenced above, the football McAdoo came up through the Ravens organization. Can he make a place for himself in Dallas?
Who is Michael McAdoo?
That's a good question and it's definitely one to know the answer to when you continuously hear about his name buzzing throughout the offseason. McAdoo is a 6' 7", 245-pound player who has played along the defensive line. He's still somewhat of an unknown name, but the Cowboys have proven in the past that they can find talent where others couldn't or where others couldn't develop.
At 25 years of age, McAdoo's career trend has been unique, but he still has all the time in the world to develop into what many thought he could become out of college. And if he can prove himself throughout the offseason, it could mean someone we thought would make the team will be out of a job.
Why haven't you heard of him yet?
Well, it started at North Carolina. As a defensive end there, McAdoo was kicked off the team's football team for academic fraud. He was signed by the Ravens after the 2011 NFL Supplemental Draft. Unfortunately, he suffered an Achilles injury during OTAs in preparation for the 2012 NFL season. Despite the seriousness of the injury and the slow recovery, the Ravens held onto him for an entire year before he releasing him during OTAs in preparation for the 2013 NFL season.
From there, McAdoo had stints in the CFL (Canadian Football League) with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and in the AFL (Arena Football League) with the Arizona Rattlers, before signing with the Cowboys to be a member of their practice squad. At the conclusion of the 2015 NFL season, the Cowboys signed McAdoo to a futures contract.
Expecting a lot out of McAdoo would be completely unfair, considering the fact that he's played the same amount of NFL regular seasons snaps as myself: zero. McAdoo's experience is limited to all but one preseason game. But with the Rattlers in the 2015 AFL Season, McAdoo had 29 tackles, 11 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
Leon Lett mentioned a few weeks ago that the Cowboys had interest in Benson Mayowa dating back to his time with the Seattle Seahawks. That was three years ago. I have a feeling that the Cowboys have done similar research on McAdoo and his growth and development. In hopes of hearing more about McAdoo, I reached out to DallasCowboys.com's Bryan Broaddus on Twitter to hear more about the buzz of McAdoo. Here's what he had to say:
It's shorts and a jersey but they had him running with the 2s and there was some skill getting off ball. Slippery. https://t.co/5YvdLQb4yf — Bryan Broaddus (@BryanBroaddus) May 27, 2016
Getting off the ball and slippery, two traits we have heard time and time again with the Cowboys and what they look for in their defensive lineman. Dallas loves its lineman who fit the quick-twitch, explosive mold and McAdoo has the exact makings of that. With such a crowded cast of guys fighting for a spot on the defensive line, McAdoo will have an uphill battle, but he has some tools that could help him develop into a contributor to this defensive line.
Follow me on Twitter: RyanRattyNFL
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