Darren McFadden ready to carry to the load for Ezekiel Elliott

Dallas Cowboys running back Darren McFadden is two years older than he was in 2015 when he rushed for 1,089 yards and showed the world there was a little burst left in his body after a largely injury-filled and disappointing career with the Los Angeles Raiders.

The Cowboys are hoping he can reprise that performance after star running back Ezekiel Elliott was suspended for the first six games of the season.

McFadden, who had just 24 carries for 87 in limited play last season, said his body is healthy and ready do whatever is asked. He had six carries for 28 yards in Saturday night’s 13-10 preseason loss against the Los Angeles Rams.

It was an improvement over his effort against the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame when he had three carries for -6 yards.

McFadden, 29, says it’s just about getting reps and getting back in sync.

“My body still feels good,” McFadden said. “I feel great, just getting out there running, just getting carries and getting warmed up. I’m definitely going to be able to handle a load. (2015) was a pretty good year. I dont feel like i missed a beat. I didn’t play much last year. I feel like i definitely can get back to that status.”

McFadden his thoughts at the moment are largely with Elliott and supporting him through a tough time.

“It’s a tough situation he is dealing with but he's taking it in stride right now,” McFadden said. “He is only going to get better from it. We are behind him 100 percent regardless of what is going on. The decision has been made. We are going to stand behind him. He is our brother. He is our teammate. We are going to miss him out there.”

This story was originally published August 13, 2017 at 1:37 AM with the headline "Darren McFadden ready to carry to the load for Ezekiel Elliott."