One day after losing DeMarco Murray to the Eagles, the Cowboys added Darren McFadden to their backfield. McFadden's a former first-round pick and a big name, and the Cowboys reportedly viewed him as a "home-run hitter" in their backfield.
But Dallas was apparently interested in McFadden even before losing Murray, so they aren't counting on the former Raider to be their starter. And that's a good thing, since even behind probably the league's best offensive line, it's unlikely that McFadden still has the wheels to be a difference-maker.
Last year, 43 different running backs had at least 100 rushing attempts. McFadden's 3.4 yards per carry average was better than only six of them, and two of those players (Richardson and Tate) were released; two others (Ellington and Gerhart) were playing hurt. McFadden wasn't running behind a good offensive line in Oakland, but Latavius Murray was up at 5.2 yards per attempt behind the same personnel.
Most likely, the Cowboys will add another back to start next year, perhaps a veteran like Stevan Ridley, or somebody in the early rounds of the draft.
McFadden himself is excited, and who can blame him. But he's not being paid like a starter (two years, $5.7 million), and probably won't be counted on for that role.
Yards per carry by running back with at least 100 attempts last year are shown below.
| YARDS PER CARRY, 2014 (100+ ATTEMPTS) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | Att | Yards | TD | YPC |
| Justin Forsett | BAL | 235 | 1266 | 8 | 5.4 |
| Jeremy Hill | CIN | 222 | 1124 | 9 | 5.1 |
| Lamar Miller | MIA | 216 | 1099 | 8 | 5.1 |
| Jamaal Charles | KAN | 206 | 1033 | 9 | 5.0 |
| Arian Foster | HOU | 260 | 1246 | 8 | 4.8 |
| Jerick McKinnon | MIN | 113 | 538 | 0 | 4.8 |
| DeMarco Murray | DAL | 392 | 1845 | 13 | 4.7 |
| Le'Veon Bell | PIT | 290 | 1361 | 8 | 4.7 |
| Marshawn Lynch | SEA | 280 | 1306 | 13 | 4.7 |
| C.J. Anderson | DEN | 179 | 849 | 8 | 4.7 |
| Eddie Lacy | GNB | 246 | 1139 | 9 | 4.6 |
| Jonathan Stewart | CAR | 175 | 809 | 3 | 4.6 |
| LeGarrette Blount | PIT-NE | 125 | 547 | 5 | 4.4 |
| Frank Gore | SFO | 255 | 1106 | 4 | 4.3 |
| Mark Ingram | NOR | 226 | 964 | 9 | 4.3 |
| Tre Mason | STL | 179 | 765 | 4 | 4.3 |
| Chris Johnson | NYJ | 155 | 663 | 1 | 4.3 |
| Denard Robinson | JAX | 135 | 582 | 4 | 4.3 |
| LeSean McCoy | PHI | 312 | 1319 | 5 | 4.2 |
| Alfred Morris | WAS | 265 | 1074 | 8 | 4.1 |
| Chris Ivory | NYJ | 198 | 821 | 6 | 4.1 |
| Isaiah Crowell | CLE | 148 | 607 | 8 | 4.1 |
| Ronnie Hillman | DEN | 106 | 434 | 3 | 4.1 |
| Anthony Dixon | BUF | 105 | 432 | 2 | 4.1 |
| Giovani Bernard | CIN | 168 | 680 | 5 | 4.0 |
| Matt Forte | CHI | 266 | 1038 | 6 | 3.9 |
| Joique Bell | DET | 223 | 860 | 7 | 3.9 |
| Terrance West | CLE | 171 | 673 | 4 | 3.9 |
| Rashad Jennings | NYG | 167 | 639 | 4 | 3.8 |
| Steven Jackson | ATL | 190 | 707 | 6 | 3.7 |
| Bishop Sankey | TEN | 152 | 569 | 2 | 3.7 |
| Fred Jackson | BUF | 141 | 525 | 2 | 3.7 |
| Doug Martin | TAM | 134 | 494 | 2 | 3.7 |
| Branden Oliver | SDG | 160 | 582 | 3 | 3.6 |
| Matt Asiata | MIN | 164 | 570 | 9 | 3.5 |
| Knile Davis | KAN | 134 | 463 | 6 | 3.5 |
| Darren McFadden | OAK | 155 | 534 | 2 | 3.4 |
| Andre Williams | NYG | 217 | 721 | 7 | 3.3 |
| Andre Ellington | ARI | 201 | 660 | 3 | 3.3 |
| Trent Richardson | IND | 159 | 519 | 3 | 3.3 |
| Toby Gerhart | JAX | 101 | 326 | 2 | 3.2 |
| Alfred Blue | HOU | 169 | 528 | 2 | 3.1 |
| Ben Tate | CLE-MIN | 119 | 371 | 4 | 3.1 |
--Andy Richardson