We all knew that at some point the Dallas Cowboys would activate veteran running back Darren McFadden and add him to the 53 man roster. To make such a move the organization had to release someone, and even though many of us have projected who that player may be, I don't think any of us saw them cutting Darius Jackson.
Darius Jackson isn't a household name by any means, so many of you will probably just shrug your shoulders upon hearing of his release, but I for one am left in the state of disbelief. I'll admit, it was literally one of those jaw-dropping moments for me.
Now, Jackson may be in his first year in the NFL after being drafted in the sixth round by the Cowboys, but I really had big expectations for him once he had time to develop his skill set a little more.
The former Eastern Michigan product possesses an impressive combination of size, speed, and explosiveness, which was on full display at his Pro Day earlier in the off-season. He is a complete back and can not only run the ball, but is an effective receiver out of the backfield and not bad in pass protection either, although that was still a work in progress.
The Dallas Cowboys now risk another team claiming him off of waivers, and I for one would be surprised if he isn't. Hopefully though, he goes unclaimed and the Cowboys can bring him back as a member of the practice squad.
I honestly would hate to see him become a productive member for another team in the NFL, especially considering the team chose to keep Lance Dunbar instead.
You see, Dunbar was my choice for the Cowboys to release when Darren McFadden was brought back to the active roster. I really have a disdain for specially players and to me that's the category I would put #25 in.
He is not the type of player you want to see carrying the ball between the tackles and the only thing he has been somewhat successful at is as a receiver out of the backfield. Of course, that's not even mentioning the fact that he has a history of being injury prone.
To me, Darius Jackson can do all of those things and has more upside down the road. Unfortunately, we may now see him find success with another team.
I really just thought it was odd that the Cowboys would choose to keep Dunbar, who is on a one-year deal, over Jackson, who is in the first year of his rookie contract. Typically in these situations you see the aging/injury prone veteran get the ax, not the young player with promising potential.
The only thing that I, and the rest of us can do is wait and see if Darius Jackson can somehow slip through waivers and become a member of the Cowboys practice squad.
Here's to hoping that the Cowboys mistake of releasing Jackson in the first place can be rectified by bringing him back to the team.
Would you like to see Darius Jackson return to the Dallas Cowboys?
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