OXNARD, Calif. – The Cowboys are expected to sign rookie running back D.J. Adams on Saturday, following an injury to Ben Malena against the Chargers.
Malena suffered a quad strain during a kick return Thursday night in San Diego and has needed crutches in the days since. The Cowboys will likely waive/injure him to make room for Adams on the roster.
Coincidentally enough, Adams' last team before this was the Chargers, who just beat the Cowboys in each team's preseason debut. Adams played two seasons for Maryland, where he rushed for 239 yards and 11 touchdowns as a freshman.
He transferred to [embedded_ad]
Portland State for his junior season, and he tallied 967 yards and 11 touchdowns on just 164 carries – an average of 5.8 yards per carry. He assumed the starting spot in 2013, and he tallied a fantastic 1,600 yards and 19 touchdowns in 12 games.
The Chargers released him during their June minicamp in order to make room for a defensive signing.
Malena seemed like a longshot to make the roster, given the wealth of running backs above him on the depth chart, but the Cowboys were impressed with what he was able to show in his touches. If Adams can stick, he'll be one of the guys the team looks to toward the tail end of the preseason.
