Dallas Cowboys put Darren McFadden on 53-man roster

Amid all the talk about their quarterback situation, the Dallas Cowboys have added running back Darren McFadden to the 53-man roster.

Due in part to rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott and his league-leading 1,392 rushing yards, the Dallas Cowboys are 11-2 this season. Elliott also leads the NFL in rush attempts (287), and no other Cowboys’ running back has more than 61 carries (Alfred Morris). But some more backfield depth is on the way, with 2015 leading rusher Darren McFadden now back on the active roster.

Undrafted rookie running back Darius Jackson, who not been active for any regular season games, was cut to make room for McFadden. He returned to practice three weeks ago after suffering a broken right elbow during an offseason accident and requiring surgery. The Cowboys placed him on the non-football injury list before Week 1, and that’s where McFadden has been to this point.

McFadden had one of the best seasons of his career in 2015. He played all 16 games for just the second time in his career, leading the Cowboys in rushing (1,089 yards) and contributing 40 receptions.

The drafting of Elliott and the signing of Morris in free agency pushed McFadden down the depth chart heading into this season, so his role if he had been healthy is unclear. Some trade rumors surrounded McFadden, both before the season started and approaching the trade deadline, but nothing came to fruition.

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The Cowboys are still in the driver’s seat for home field advantage in the NFC, and they may be in position to rest some key players in Week 17. Reducing Elliott’s workload a bit should be in the cards no matter what, with an eye toward the playoffs. If nothing else, McFadden is a set of fresher legs that can make that a little easier to do.