The Dallas Cowboys could look at Chris Johnson as a free agent option top add depth for Darren McFadden and Joseph Randle on the roster and this comes after the team drafted Byron Jones in the first round of the draft and that could lead to a Morris Claiborne trade in the future as Jerry Jones works to sign Dez Bryant to a long term contract.
The Cowboys allowed DeMarco Murray to leave in free agency for the Eagles and the team felt comfortable doing that due to his age and past injury history. The team did not want to spend a ton of money on an aging running back and that is why the Cowboys likely did not go hard after Adrian Peterson. According to Pro Football Talk, Jones has left the door open for a Peterson deal, but the Vikings look like they are not trading Peterson this offseason.
Jason Garrett and Stephen Jones said that the team is comfortable with the running backs on the roster with Joseph Randle, Ryan Williams and Lance Dunbar backing up McFadden. Jerry Jones said to the Dallas Morning News that the team "has not had talks" with Johnson, but Stephen Jones added that the team is always looking to improve the roster and could add a veteran running back for training camp.
Johnson has campaigned himself for a chance to get in with the Cowboys and he said that he would be a good fit for the team. Johnson played last season with the Jets after getting released from the Titans and he ended up playing in all 16 games, rushing for 663 yards and one touchdown in limited carries behind Chris Ivory. McFadden played in all 16 games for the first time in his career last season and the team thinks that he can handle being the feature back, with or without a veteran coming in.
The Cowboys came into the draft looking for talented players that could contribute and they appear to have done well in that regard, adding Byron Jones and Randy Gregory in the first two rounds. The team could consider making a trade with Morris Claiborne in the future, as they did not pick up his fifth year option and he has been a disappointment for the team. With Kyle Arrington now on the market as a free agent, there is a chance the team could take a flier on him while pushing Jones into the starting lineup.
Jones comes out of the draft as one of the best cornerbacks in the nation and Mel Kiper Jr. gave the Cowboys a high grade for this pick. The team had some problems in the secondary last season and now Jones comes in to solidify the cornerbacks unit out of UConn as a first round draft pick. Gregory has some off the field issues coming with him, but for his value, the team made a great pick. Gregory was considered a top 10 talent coming into the draft, but his off the field problems pushed him into the second round and that allowed the Cowboys to grab him.