Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday it remains a close competition between McFadden and Alfred Morris for the top backup running back job, Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
After being inactive for the Cowboys' season-opening win over the Giants on Sunday, McFadden remains behind Morris on the depth chart, but Morris didn't do much to create separation in the battle for backup duties behind starter Ezekiel Elliott, as he logged just eight snaps and gained one yard on four carries. While neither McFadden nor Morris will be in store for a bounty of snaps in any given week while Elliott is healthy, the two players could take on greater importance later on in the season in the event that Elliott ends up having to serve a portion or all of the six-game suspension the NFL initially handed him in August. Elliott received a preliminary injuction last week from a Texas district court that will allow him to continue playing while the legal process unfolds, but the NFL's recent decision to appeal the injuction could result in Elliott's status being somewhat uncertain from week to week until a resolution is reached.