There was some consternation, both among fans and media, that the Cowboys lost an integral part of their offense when running back DeMarco Murray signed with the Eagles. But the price -- a five-year, $42 million deal ($21 million guaranteed) -- was prohibitive and the Cowboys were right to look for running back help elsewhere.
That said, few people were sold on the likes of Joseph Randle and free-agent signing Darren McFadden making up the difference.
A lot can happen between the start of training camp and the regular season, and the Cowboys will no doubt be on the lookout for backs that can help them. And that list could include Chris Johnson, the former Titans first-round pick who struggled with the Jets last season and remains unsigned.
While it's unclear at this point where @ChrisJohnson28 will play this year, one team his agent has been in contact with: the #Cowboys.
— Rand Getlin (@Rand_Getlin) July 27, 2015
If the Johnson-Cowboys rumors sound familiar, they should; CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora wrote earlier this month that several NFL executives brought up Dallas as a possible landing spot for Johnson. And Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said in May that Johnson was on the team's short list.
“We haven't visited with Chris, and we can't talk about him because he's a free agent. But right now we're looking at the guys that we have on our roster,” Jones said at the time. “He is somebody that is on a short list of ours that we think could ultimately come in and do some good things for us if we asked him to. But I wouldn't say it's a priority right now.”
In March, Johnson was wounded in a drive-by shooting that left him hospitalized with wounds to his right shoulder. But the injury won't keep him from returning to the field, something he hopes to do sooner than later.
"[T]hings should pick back up when (camps start)," Johnson told La Canfora earlier this month. "I've just been working hard, getting back healthy, getting in shape. Now it's just waiting and working out and seeing what my next situation is going to be.”
So the Cowboys may still kick the tires on Johnson, partly because he's had a much better career than McFadden, but also because there's not much depth at running back. But as we wrote in March, shortly after the Cowboys signed McFadden, the offense will still be explosive because of the 10 other players on the field.
McFadden will play behind the league's best offensive line (the Raiders' line ranked 28th last year), according to Football Outsiders. He also won't be expected to carry this offense; that burden falls to Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, Jason Witten and the aforementioned offensive line.
Instead, McFadden et al will comprise a backs-by-committee approach to running the ball. The strategy not only shares the workload, but lessens like likelihood McFadden gets hurt, a reality that has plagued him throughout his career (only once has he played in all 16 games in a season).
If you're still not convinced, take solace in knowing that golfer John Daly fully expects McFadden to rush for 2,000 yards next season. Place your bets accordingly.
