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Dallas Cowboys running back Darren McFadden has had injury issues in the past, but most of them have come during games, and they've been to the lower half of his body (he's had several hamstring injuries). McFadden suffered another injury this offseason, but this time he did not hurt himself on the field, and he did not hurt his legs.

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett told reporters on Tuesday that McFadden recently had surgery on a broken elbow he suffered in an accident at his home. McFadden is out for a couple months, and may or may not be ready for Dallas' season opener against the New York Giants in September.

McFadden became the Cowboys' starting running back a few games into last season after Joseph Randle struggled with ineffectiveness, injury, and off-field incidents. McFadden ran for 1,089 yards on 239 carries, also chipping in with 40 catches for 328 yards. His 4.6 yards per carry average was his highest since 2011, and the first time he had been over 3.4 per carry since that time.

McFadden was initially expected to split carries with free-agent signing Alfred Morris in 2016, but the Cowboys blew up that plan by selecting former Ohio State star Ezekiel Elliott with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 draft. McFadden still figured to factor into the Cowboys' backfield plans somehow, but it's widely expected that Elliott will be the feature back.

Given this injury and the uncertainty of whether or not McFadden will even be ready for the opener, it seems more likely that both Morris and Lance Dunbar (returning from an ACL injury suffered last season) will make the roster, to give the Cowboys some options and flexibility behind Elliott.

Darren McFadden is out at least two months after elbow surgery. USATSI