Keep 5 RB's?

[ABQCOWBOY]

Didn't say it wasn't possible, just that Dallas has been running two tight ends since Garrett took over and he has not made it a priority to keep four tight ends in any season but last season.

I think based on Dallas' rosters since Garrett has been coach that he wanted to go with 4 TEs and no FB but ultimately decided there are times when he needs a FB in there as a lead blocker. That's why we've ended up carrying a player who receives limited snaps instead of a fourth TE who would receive limited snaps.

If we got to the point where we needed to use the fourth tight end, we would probably just run more fullback sets, or we would pick up a blocking TE. (Gathers is likely to go on the practice squad so maybe he'll be ready for that role when the time comes.)

Anything is possible, even keeping five tailbacks, but some things are less likely based on the previous disposition of this head coach. Patterns aren't perfect but they are predictive.

I don't think that's it at all. I think it comes down to who the best player is at the bottom of the roster. If the FB is better, we keep the FB. If the TE is better, we keep the TE. However, we continue to try and make the 2 TE sets work. We go back to it every year. That should tell us something IMO.

 

[Alohawg1]

Maybe it's the constant drumbeat here, the press, the injury or a combination of things, but more and more as the season approaches it feels like Darren will not be in a Dallas uniform this season. As a fan of his from the beginning it makes me sad for what ifs. What if this guy who blazed through sec defenses had been drafted lower in the first rd. in place of his college teammate Mr. Jones. I can't help but think what a different story would have been written about his Cowboy days.......oh' well.
I expect he will end up somewhere else this year and maybe next before calling it a career, an injury riddled career of unfulfilled potential. I appreciate his professionalism and leadership last season and wish him the best moving forward if indeed he's done in big D.

 

[kiheikiwi]

I can see it going one of two ways - either McFadden gets traded when healthy, or he stays on NFI. Morris is, and should remain the # 2 back to Elliott. Jackson at # 3 with Dunbar getting his last shot.

 

[gmoney112]

I honestly don't get the love for McFadden in 2016. I appreciate that he was able to step in once Randle went off the deep end, but he wasn't really that good as a guy who received a few carries here and there. He didn't find a groove until he was getting the majority of the snaps. He won't get that in 2016. I don't see him taking any snaps away from Elliot, there is nothing that he is better than Elliot at in this stage of their careers. He's not the backup as Morris has looked better than McFadden ever looked last year, plus Morris has never missed a game in his career, that's what you want in a backup. And don't compare what Dunbar does and what McFadden does. You can argue we shouldn't trust Dunbar with the injury risk, but Dunbar has elite quickness and is way more of a pass receiving threat than McFadden can ever be. So really the decision is should Dallas keep McFadden or Jackson, and I don't think there is enough value to what McFadden brings to the team in 2016 to keep him over a young guy who is cheap and controllable for 4 years. Not to mention that Jackson plays special teams and McFadden does not.

I don't know about "love", but the argument for keeping him is pretty simple. McFadden is an insurance policy. The run game is going to be a big part of the offense, as it should be, and keeping Romo healthy is a priority.

As much as people want to tout their pet cats, and the young guy in Jackson, the fact is that McFadden has actually done it, against stacked boxes with no QB and one of the worst offenses in the NFL. Just as importantly, he's an above average pass blocker and can catch passes out of backfield.

That gives you a backup that can not only protect Tony on third downs, but threatens the flats and can still serve as a decent ball carrier in case Zeke/Alf get injured.

Can Jackson do it? Maybe. We don't know though, and that's risky. And I can say confidently that I do not want a rookie late round draft pick attempting to pass block for Tony on 3rd and 6+.

The only way DMC is not on the team is if they decide his salary is too much, which would be understandable.