The Dallas Cowboys will play the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, and that will be their 10th game of the season. That’s an important number for Rolando McClain, it just happens to be how long he was suspended for by the NFL. McClain was technically suspended for opiates, he was using what is generally called “purple drank” which is prescription cold medicine mixed with soda.
A few weeks ago Jerry Jones said that he has not ruled out a return for McClain this season even though he wasn’t issued a locker at the new facilities. McClain was placed on the reserve/did not report list prior to the season. Brandon George at the DMN reports that sources tell him that McClain has overcome his “purple drank” problem and is working out.
Behind the scenes, the Cowboys have been keeping close tabs on McClain. A source said that McClain has overcome his "purple drank" problem and has been working out on his own with the intention of playing again.
Eve if McClain is healthy again and fit to play, there is always the issue of a relapse. And, probably more than anything, there is the chemistry issue. The Cowboys have a very tight locker room and things are working very well, do they really want to add a wild card element to that?
"The best thing this team has done is just limited and eliminated the distractions," Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said Thursday, not specifically referencing any player. "And that's for everybody and we've got to continue to do that."
There’s no doubt that when McClain is in form he could help this team on the field. But could he hurt it off the field? As of this point, the Cowboys don’t expect McClain’s status to change on Monday, meaning there are no plans to add him to the roster once his suspension is up. But they are ruling it out for the future.