There's a reason the Cowboys decided not to pursue any trade talks for Ron Leary back in the offseason.
The team is realizing that reason firsthand now.
After La'el Collins' toe injury that will keep him sidelined for several weeks, the Cowboys are turning to Leary, a veteran guard who has 35 career starts. Ironically, it was Leary's job in the first place before he suffered a hamstring injury early last year that opened the door for Collins.
In the offseason, the Cowboys listened to various trade talks about Leary but made it clear of his importance and wouldn't give him away for cheap.
Now, they have to be glad he's' still part of this team, as he plays on his final year of his contract.
"I just kept my faith and kept working because the whole time I knew I could play in the league," Leary said. "I knew opportunity would come one day. It just came."
Leary said he had to make a decision over the summer to stop acknowledging any of the trade rumors.
"It was difficult, especially in the offseason. I told myself once I got into the season that I wasn't going to talk about the trade talk or anything," Leary said. "I didn't want to be a distraction to this team at all. I was just going to help the team do whatever I needed to do to win games. It was a frustrating process."
But now Leary has the chance to take it out to the field, starting this week in San Francisco.
-- Nick Eatman
