How desperate are the Dallas Cowboys in their search for someone to play middle linebacker?
Desperate enough that Rolando McClain has been seeing time at the position. McClain has retired twice from the NFL since last appearing in a regular season game in November of 2012.
With Sean Lee already ruled out for the season the Cowboys are opting to use Justin Durant at weak-side linebacker leaving the middle of their defense open to attack.
“We started to do that a couple of weeks ago and then Rolando was out of practice a couple of days, so we will do that in practice this week,” head coach Jason Garrett said via ESPN Dallas. “At the end of the day, we need to find our three best linebackers and our best combination of those guys to start for us in base, and then there are some roles in nickel as well. If guys demonstrate that they’re a better cover guy than base linebacker, maybe they’ll get their opportunities there. So we’ll continue to work the different looks and the different combinations and see what looks best.”
McClain, 25, was the No. 8 overall pick of the Oakland Raiders in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Last season the Cowboys were last or next to it in nearly every defensive statistic. Given a lack of defensive additions thing are not looking good for the 2014 season.