Cowboys Ron Leary Goes From 'Trade Me' To 'Blessed'
Follow The Fan: Facebook | Twitter
ARLINGTON (105.3 THE FAN) - Dating all the way back to May, Ronald Leary has expressed a desire to depart the Dallas Cowboys for the opportunity to again be an NFL starter. He continued to harbor that feeling in Weeks 1 and 2 of the regular season, as the machinations of the 46-man-roster rule didn't even allow him to dress for the games as prized youngster La'el Collins started in his old left guard spot.
And he felt that way last week … on Thursday … on Friday.
But maybe not on Sunday night, when late into the evening following Dallas' 31-17 victory over the visiting Bears, he felt both awful for Collins and blessed by a new opportunity.
"It wasn't the way I wanted it to happen,'' Leary told me, lamenting the Collins' foot/toe injury that forced the second-year standout out of the game in the second quarter and has Collins joining Dez Bryant (knee) by undergoing an MRI today. "But the chance came, the opportunity came. God is good.''
Leary has tried to keep the faith — and keep his mouth shut — since signing his free-agent tender of $2.553 million for one year last spring.
He skipped OTAs in an effort to demonstrate to management that he was serious about wanting a change, but always the good soldier, he eventually showed up and returned to the role he served in 2015: Big brother and coach to his fellow Louisiana native Collins.
Yes, good player and good soldier: Little-known is the fact that when Dallas decided to hand the 2015 left guard job to the then-rookie Collins — irrespective of whether he'd beaten out Leary or was superior in any way to Leary — the veteran took on the role of tutor.
Leary essentially helped Collins learn how to be as good as Leary.
And Leary was good again Sunday, the 6-3, 317-pounder helping to plow the way for rookie Ezekiel Elliott to rush 140 yards on 30 carries, for the Cowboys to score three rushing TDs, for another rookie, QB Dak Prescott, to go un-sacked while throwing his first career TD pass.
"I was prepared,'' said Leary, once upon a time an undrafted free agent due to a knee issue. "It felt good to be playing football. I love the game so much … What I've been going through has been really frustrating. I've been keeping my faith. And … things happen.''
The soft-spoken Leary heaped praise on the coaching staff for inventing contingency plans due to injuries to the starting tackles, Doug Free (who did play) and Tyron Smith (who could not), and for a ball-control attack that emphasized the strength of this O-line — maybe the best in the NFL … maybe, arguably, even better if Leary is an active part of it.
"I think our coaches put together a hell of a gameplan,'' Leary said. "It's the NFL; everybody's good. We prepared hard all week. We had a great week of preparation. We worked on finishing. And it showed up tonight.''
There is more to be "finished.'' Collins has his doctor's visit, and Tyron and Free have their trainer's time. Leary, just 27, is a free agent after this season, and even before then, though his value to the Cowboys at the moment just skyrocketed, trade calls will likely roll in to Dallas, as they did in the summer.
Leary didn't want to go public with his trade thoughts after the Week 1 loss to the Giants; how would that have looked, griping to distraction in that moment? Leary didn't want to go public with his trade thoughts after the Week 2 win at Washington; how would that have looked, pulling the spotlight away from the team?
Now might be a time to crow. But Leary does not crow.
Nevertheless … Does Ronald Leary wish to remain a Cowboy? Are this good player/good soldier's desires to depart Dallas now gone?
"That's kind of out of my control,'' Leary told me. "They (management) make those types of decisions. There is a lot of emotion right now … I'm just glad, and blessed, to be able to play football again.''
(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
