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DE Mike McAdoo could be a nice roster surprise for Cowboys
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
OXNARD, Calif. -- When Mike McAdoo joined the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad last Dec. 30, the transaction barely registered during a forgettable finish to a miserable 4-12 season.
As the Cowboys prepare for their first preseason game of 2016, against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night, McAdoo has been one of the surprises of training camp.
On a team that needs pass-rushing help, McAdoo has a chance to earn a roster spot five years after he traveled a difficult path to make the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent.
"I never lost faith," McAdoo said. "I kept my head high. I knew adversity is big and it's how you respond to it."
When the Cowboys signed McAdoo, he had just finished his first and only season with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League. In 2014, he was out of football altogether after his release by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL. The Ravens cut him in 2013, after he had missed the previous season because of an Achilles tear.
He opened the 2011 season on the Ravens' active roster but was placed on injured reserve after Week 1 with a knee injury.
Going back to his college career, he was suspended for the 2010 season at North Carolina as part of an academic scandal. He made himself eligible for the NFL's supplemental draft in 2011 and was not chosen.
The chance with the Rattlers last season brought some football stability. He finished with a rookie-record 11 sacks in 14 starts.
"No matter what league you're playing in, if you're putting up numbers and you go out and make plays, you're going to get seen," McAdoo said.
The Cowboys were intrigued by McAdoo in the spring because of his quickness off the ball, but they wanted to reserve judgment until the pads came on in training camp. With injuries and absences and days of rest to other players, McAdoo has found himself getting some first-team work.
"I never thought I would be getting first-team snaps, but anything is possible," McAdoo said. "When I came out here, coach was telling me, when my number's called be ready."
Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli had a message for the backup defensive linemen, as the Cowboys were without Tyrone Crawford, Terrell McClain, Cedric Thornton and DeMarcus Lawrence.
"I told them, 'You're welcome,'" Marinelli said. "Who gets those types of reps? That's phenomenal. Now we're getting guys back and reps get cut."
Reps will be cut, but the Cowboys' search for pass-rush help is neverending. So are Marinelli's teachings.
"It's like when I'm sleeping, that's the only thing I hear: Stay low and get off the ball," McAdoo said. "His techniques and everything he teaches is like, I've never embraced that before, so any chance he's talking to me or telling me to look up a guy, I take full consideration into it and actually look into it and do what he says, because of the guys he's had."
In the last few years, the Cowboys have found defensive-line help off the street from players like George Selvie, Nick Hayden and Jarius Wynn. Maybe McAdoo will be the next one.
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
OXNARD, Calif. -- When Mike McAdoo joined the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad last Dec. 30, the transaction barely registered during a forgettable finish to a miserable 4-12 season.
As the Cowboys prepare for their first preseason game of 2016, against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night, McAdoo has been one of the surprises of training camp.
On a team that needs pass-rushing help, McAdoo has a chance to earn a roster spot five years after he traveled a difficult path to make the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent.
"I never lost faith," McAdoo said. "I kept my head high. I knew adversity is big and it's how you respond to it."
When the Cowboys signed McAdoo, he had just finished his first and only season with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League. In 2014, he was out of football altogether after his release by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL. The Ravens cut him in 2013, after he had missed the previous season because of an Achilles tear.
He opened the 2011 season on the Ravens' active roster but was placed on injured reserve after Week 1 with a knee injury.
Going back to his college career, he was suspended for the 2010 season at North Carolina as part of an academic scandal. He made himself eligible for the NFL's supplemental draft in 2011 and was not chosen.
The chance with the Rattlers last season brought some football stability. He finished with a rookie-record 11 sacks in 14 starts.
"No matter what league you're playing in, if you're putting up numbers and you go out and make plays, you're going to get seen," McAdoo said.
The Cowboys were intrigued by McAdoo in the spring because of his quickness off the ball, but they wanted to reserve judgment until the pads came on in training camp. With injuries and absences and days of rest to other players, McAdoo has found himself getting some first-team work.
"I never thought I would be getting first-team snaps, but anything is possible," McAdoo said. "When I came out here, coach was telling me, when my number's called be ready."
Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli had a message for the backup defensive linemen, as the Cowboys were without Tyrone Crawford, Terrell McClain, Cedric Thornton and DeMarcus Lawrence.
"I told them, 'You're welcome,'" Marinelli said. "Who gets those types of reps? That's phenomenal. Now we're getting guys back and reps get cut."
Reps will be cut, but the Cowboys' search for pass-rush help is neverending. So are Marinelli's teachings.
"It's like when I'm sleeping, that's the only thing I hear: Stay low and get off the ball," McAdoo said. "His techniques and everything he teaches is like, I've never embraced that before, so any chance he's talking to me or telling me to look up a guy, I take full consideration into it and actually look into it and do what he says, because of the guys he's had."
In the last few years, the Cowboys have found defensive-line help off the street from players like George Selvie, Nick Hayden and Jarius Wynn. Maybe McAdoo will be the next one.
