Todd Archer of ESPN reports that since the Cowboys have yet to activate veteran RB Darren McFadden from the non-football injury list, he is not eligible to be traded before the upcoming deadline.
On Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that the Cowboys could be convinced to trade McFadden if they got the right offer from him. However, Rapoport says that the Cowboys would want something “significant” for him.
Rapoport admitted that McFadden being on the non-football injury list with a fractured elbow complicates the situation.
Last week, McFadden mentioned that he’s hoping to remain with the team, despite his name coming up in trade rumors over the past few months.
“No, I can’t say that,” McFadden said when asked if a trade could be best for both parties, via the Star-Telegram. “I love it here. I’ve pretty much made this my home, so I love being here. I just want to be out there contributing and playing.”
McFadden added that no matter what happens, he plans to be ready regardless.
“It’s something I don’t really pay attention to,” McFadden said. “Right now, whatever happens man, I’m going to be ready regardless. Whether they decide to bring me up and play me here, or if I get traded or whatever, I’m going to be ready to play.”
Coming out of the preseason, Rapoport reported that the Cowboys had received calls from NFL teams interested in trading for McFadden but they wanted to keep him on their roster.
The problem for the Cowboys is that they have a clear-cut No. 1 running back in Ezekiel Elliott and a decent backup in Alfred Morris, so there may not be a lot of carries for McFadden once he’s ready to return.
McFadden, 29, is in the final year of his two-year, $3 million contract that included a $200,000 signing bonus. He stands to make a base salary of $1.25 million for the 2016 season before testing the open market as an unrestricted free agent next year.
In 2015, McFadden appeared in all 16 games for the Cowboys and ran for 1,089 yards on 239 carries (4.6 YPC) to go along with 40 receptions for 328 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 42 running back out of 69 qualifying players.
We’ll have more regarding McFadden as the news is available.
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