Dallas Cowboys Linebacker Rolando McClain a Lock for Comeback Player of the Year?

When the Dallas Cowboys traded for 'retired' 25-year old linebacker Rolando McClain the world scoffed. There Jerry goes again; throwing away a draft pick on one of the biggest flops in recent history. What a waste.

Fast forward to the present and with McClain a virtual lock to win the Comeback Player of the Year this season it appears to be the best deal Jones has ever made.

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Back in July when the world thought that McClain had retired after a short, but tumultuous career the Cowboys traded a sixth round pick in the 2015 draft to the Baltimore Ravens for McClain and a seventh round pick. The deal showed what little value the Ravens or Cowboys placed on him at the time, but in light of the last couple years folks still thought Jones was crazy.

After helping Alabama win another national championship in 2010 and being named the best linebacker in the nation McClain was a sure-fire top 10 pick. Sure enough, the Raiders took him with the No. 8 in the '10 draft.

At first the move appeared to be brilliant. His 85 tackles as a rookie was nothing to shake a stick at and he led the team with 99 in 2011--but then everything fell apart. McClain and the rest of the defense struggled in '12, McClain was taken out of the lineup, and head coach Dennis Allen made it sound like he was a poor decision maker that made too many mistakes.

Tack on getting kicked out of practice, an anti-Raiders rant on Facebook, and some off-field issues and the Raiders parted ways with him in April 2013. Baltimore picked him up a few days later, but around a month later McClain announced his retirement from the game.

WTF, right?

An ill-advised trade to Dallas and an injury to Sean Lee forced him in to action, and he has responded. Fast forward to Week Six of the 2014 season and he is making the game-clinching interception against the Seattle Seahawks.

Who (besides Jerry Jones) would have thought?

ProFootballFocus has McClain rated as the third best linebacker in the NFL through six weeks. Should his play continue to have him rated so high it will be the biggest injustice in NFL award history if he is not the Comeback Player of the Year.

Now imagine the Dallas defense with him and Sean Lee roaming the middle...

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