Cowboys Officially Activate Darren McFadden
Finally, Darren McFadden is back in the Cowboys’ lineup. The team announced that he is being activated from the reserve/NFI list. To make room, rookie running back Darius Jackson has been let go. 
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McFadden will now be available for the Cowboys’ Week 15 game against the Buccaneers. Ezekiel Elliott obviously remains the No. 1 back in Dallas, but McFadden could get carries if the team decides to rest the star rookie heading into the playoffs. McFadden could also chip away at Alfred Morris‘ workload. McFadden, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2008 draft, was the NFL’s fourth-leading rusher in 2015.
Somebody had to go in order to make room for McFadden, but the decision to drop Jackson is a bit surprising. The Cowboys will probably look to re-sign the sixth-round pick out of Eastern Michigan to the practice squad if he goes unclaimed, but that’s far from a certainty.
Dallas Does Not Plan To Rest Starters; Lucky Whitehead Left Home For Missing Meeting
- We learned last night that the Cowboys would be without return specialist Lucky Whitehead for tonight’s game against the Giants, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that Whitehead was indeed left home in Dallas for missing a team meeting, which has been a recurring issue for him.
- Even if the Cowboys reach a point in the regular season when they have nothing to play for, they do not plan to rest their starters, according to Rapoport. Dak Prescott would be a logical exception to that rule, though Tony Romo may not be the replacement if Prescott comes off the field. As Rapoport writes, Dallas would want to keep Romo safe in case Prescott should suffer an injury in the playoffs (Twitter links).
Violation Leads Cowboys To Shelve Return Man
- The Cowboys will be playing without return specialist Lucky Whitehead against the Giants due apparently to a Snapchat-induced issue, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. A team-rules violation officially kept Whitehead from traveling with the team to New Jersey, and Charean Williams and Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram report a missed meeting factored into this as well. Whitehead’s returned 19 punts and 10 kickoffs this season. Lance Dunbar and Cole Beasley are listed as the specialty backups.
Orlando Scandrick Dealing With Injury
- Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick playing with plantar fasciitis, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. So far, Scandrick has been able to tough it out and play through the pain, but one has to imagine that he might need some rest. If the Cowboys can clinch the top seed in the conference, he could get that opportunity before the playoffs begin.
Cowboys’ Randy Gregory Won’t Practice This Week
Despite previous reports to the contrary, the league has informed the Cowboys that Gregory won’t be allowed to practice with the Cowboys this week, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. It’s not immediately clear whether or not Gregory will be able to play in Week 16, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets.
Gregory was recently handed a one-year ban, but that suspension is under appeal. While he’s in that gray area, the Nebraska product is hoping to take the field against the Lions in Week 16.
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Originally, Gregory was slated to return right around this point in the season, but that was before his latest positive drug test. The ban has put his NFL future in flux, but owner Jerry Jones says that the Cowboys are not giving up on the youngster:
“I, of course, know the details of his situation, and I can’t and I won’t comment on details about it,” Jones said. “But I am not giving up on Randy Gregory for the Cowboys and certainly not giving up on him as a person in life — at all. Not that it makes any difference that I do, but I do not dismiss him from our future.”
If Gregory’s appeal is unsuccessful, he’ll be suspended for most or all of the 2017 calendar year.
NFL Spending By Team Over Last Four Seasons
The NFLPA has released the official data on team spending over the last four seasons. The Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that each team must utilize 89% of the salary cap over two four-year periods, 2013-16 and 2017-20. As previously reported, the Raiders are the only team that has yet to satisfy that requirement for the closing period. The CBA also requires the league, as a whole, to spend 95% of the cap, in cash, for the same period. That requirement has been easily met.
Here is the full rundown of every team’s spending in declining order:
Philadelphia Eagles – $613,928,134
Denver Broncos – $587,712,791
Seattle Seahawks – $584,305,975
Green Bay Packers – $583,138,740
Miami Dolphins – $577,975,260
Kansas City Chiefs – $575,541,332
Buffalo Bills – $573,647,850
Chicago Bears – $568,301,610
Cincinnati Bengals – $567,289,411
Baltimore Ravens – $562,425,698
San Diego Chargers – $562,232,116
Indianapolis Colts – $556,335,689
Atlanta Falcons – $550,614,572
New York Giants – $543,787,033
Arizona Cardinals – $543,327,538
Los Angeles Rams – $541,957,711
New Orleans Saints – $539,836,498
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $539,736,102
Minnesota Vikings – $539,162,454
New York Jets – $533,151,519
Washington Redskins – $532,545,662
Pittsburgh Steelers – $530,698,171
Detroit Lions – $530,210,549
Tennessee Titans – $524,505,256
Dallas Cowboys – $523,033,036
Houston Texans – $517,212,166
Jacksonville Jaguars – $516,908,734
Cleveland Browns – $516,158,864
San Francisco 49ers – $514,488,198
New England Patriots – $500,083,836
Carolina Panthers – $495,149,346
Oakland Raiders – $491,433,408
Fitzgerald: Cowboys Should Take Whatever They Can Get For Romo
- Fitzgerald believes the Cowboys should take whatever they can get for quarterback Tony Romo, with the writer referring to the conditional fourth-round pick sent from the Jets to the Packers in the Brett Favre trade. However, even if the team does trade the veteran signal-caller, Fitzgerald says the team’s cap situation will likely prevent them from being major players in free agency.
[SOURCE LINK]
Rolando McClain Banned Indefinitely
Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain has been suspended indefinitely, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. McClain’s stems from his latest violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. 
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McClain reportedly wants to return to the team, but it’s not clear if the Cowboys want to have him back. Publicly, at least, owner Jerry Jones has said that he wants the linebacker to rejoin the club. Of course, that’s easy to say when McClain is a long way from being reinstated to the league.
It should be noted that since McClain has been on the reserve/did not report list this season, it’s possible his one-year Cowboys deal could be applied to 2017. But, the Cowboys might not want to pursue that if McClain is not sober.
In 2015, McClain graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 28 linebacker. In his suspension-shortened season, McClain recorded 80 total tackles, two sacks, and three pass deflections.
Landing Spots For Tony Romo
Where will Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo wind up this offseason? The Broncos, Jets, and Bears would be the most obvious fits for the Cowboys quarterback, NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal opines. Beyond those teams, the Cardinals could be a possibility if Carson Palmer retires. Meanwhile, the Bills and Texans represent “longshot” landing spots for the veteran. Buffalo already has a QB in Tyrod Taylor, but his contract gives them an out if they see Romo as the better option to win right now. In Houston, Brock Osweiler could use another QB to push him, but they’d probably look to a younger player.
La'el Collins To Return This Season
- The Cowboys expect second-year guard La’el Collins back in late December or in time for the playoffs, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Collins has been on injured reserve since tearing a ligament in his right big toe in Week 3. Replacement Ronald Leary has been excellent as a fill-in, with Pro Football Focus ranking him 16th out of 80 qualifying guards this year.