IRVING, Texas - Middle linebacker Rolando McClain isn't signed for next year and middle linebacker Sean Lee isn't healthy until next year but the Cowboys nevertheless are projected the tandem to play together in Dallas in 2015.
"I certainly see a situation where we're going to be trying to sign (McClain) to a long-term contract and keep him here with the Dallas Cowboys,'' chief operating officer Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. He's certainly made a difference. He goes about his business the way we want to see them go about their business.
"We want to keep good football players that do the right thing on and off the field. Everything we see so far from Rolando is he's one of those guys.''
That's not the reputation McClain brought to town as a twice-retired former first-round draft pick labeled as a "bust'' by many. He was lured out of retirement by Cowboys owner Jerry Jones with a cheap $700,000 offer on what was termed a "no-risk'' deal. Instead, it's been all reward, McClain emerging as a speak-softly/big-hit leader of the Cowboys, a surprising 4-1.
He wouldn't be a Cowboy at all, of course, had Lee -- the incumbent at middle linebacker and a budding star lost for the season in the spring due to a knee injury. But Lee will be back next year. And Stephen Jones wants McClain to do the same.
"I think he'd be a great complement in there with Sean Lee in terms of the way Sean plays the game,'' Jones said. "It may be a situation where if he were the Mike (middle linebacker) and Sean moved over and played some Will (weakside) for us, it may help Sean in terms of the wear and tear on his body. There's a lot of thoughts there.''
The Cowboys are a ways away from this, as Lee isn't fully recovered and McClain has said nothing about his future except to express his happiness at finding a team that matches his "hunger.'' Another piece of the linebacking puzzle could be Bruce Carter, who has joined McClain in being key to Dallas' fine start. But Carter is also on the final year of his deal, and the Cowboys have many contractual issues in the to-do file, including Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray and even head coach Jason Garrett.
But Lee and Carter flanking McClain? That's worth dreaming about.
"We're more focused on what's going on here right now,'' Jones said, "but (McClain) falls in that same category as DeMarco (in terms of fitting the profile). I know he's somebody that we'd like to keep around here."
