When Ezekiel Elliott began his six-game suspension in Week 10, the expectation was that running-backs-by-committee -- namely, Darren McFadden, Alfred Morris and Rod Smith -- would pick up the slack. Turns out, McFadden has been active just once this season, and Morris and Smith have been sharing the workload in an Elliott-less backfield. The two have combined for 246 yards on 57 carries (4.3 YPC) the last three games while McFadden has a lone carry for -2 yards. This goes a long way in explaining why the Cowboys have placed him on waivers.
It was just two offseasons ago that we were applauding the Cowboys' decision to let DeMarco Murray leave in free agency (he had signed a five-year, $42 million deal with the Eagles) and move forward with McFadden, the former Raiders' first-rounder who they inked to a two-year, $5.9 million contract.
And for the 2015 season, McFadden proved the Cowboys right; he finished with 1,089 rushing yards (4.6 YPC) and three touchdowns though injuries to Tony Romo led to a 4-12 campaign that paved the way for Dallas to take Elliott with the No. 4 pick in 2016. Elliott's arrival limited McFadden to just 24 carries last season and he had just one carry in 2017 before the Cowboys decided to cut him.
McFadden, who sounds like he wants to keep playing, can be claimed by any team.
The Cowboys also cut kicker Mike Nugent now that Dan Bailey is healthy, promoted running back Trey Williams from the practice squad, and signed defensive end Datone Jones, a former Packers first-round pick.