The Dallas Cowboys may look for some free agent support at running back ahead of offseason OTA workouts, as the team has put Daniel Thomas, Ben Tate and Felix Jones through tryouts and they also could look at players like Chris Johnson, Steven Jackson or Knowshon Moreno on the market over a trade for Adrian Peterson or Doug Martin.
The Cowboys let DeMarco Murray walk this offseason in free agency to the Philadelphia Eagles and they brought in Darren McFadden on a contract to help replace him. Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett have said that the team is comfortable with the running backs on the roster, but Jones added in an interview that the team is always looking to improve. According to Pro Football Talk, the Cowboys have held workouts for a number of running backs, including Felix Jones, Ben Tate and Daniel Thomas.
With the team heading into OTAs and mandatory minicamp, it could be worth it to take a flier on a free agent running back to add some depth behind McFadden. Last season McFadden played in all 16 games for the first time in his career and he comes in with Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar and Ryan Williams behind him on the depth chart. The Cowboys feel they have a strong enough offensive line to make that group successful and that is one of the main reasons why they felt comfortable letting Murray go.
According to Josina Anderson at ESPN, the Cowboys put Ben Tate through a workout this week and could look at adding him as a depth option on the roster. Tate comes in after stints with the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers last season and that came after he signed a contract with the Browns last year. Tate previously was with the Texans and put up solid numbers as Arian Foster's backup and he had just 371 rushing yards last season.
According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and National Football Post, the Cowboys gave Daniel Thomas a workout this week and he could be another candidate to join the roster. Thomas with the Dolphins last year and was a backup player for the team behind Lamar Miller, rushing for 168 yards in 12 games last season. Thomas has scored 10 touchdowns in his career and has never averaged more than four yards per carry in any of his four seasons in Miami.
Rob Phillips from Cowboys.com reported that the team also put Felix Jones through a workout this past week. Jones is a former Cowboys first round draft pick and like Darren McFadden, he meets the Jerry Jones approved Arkansas Razorback family standard. Jones last played in 2013 with the Steelers and he had just 184 yards and averaged 3.8 yards per carry.
The Cowboys also agreed to a new deal with cornerback Orlando Scandrick and that helps give some stability to the secondary leading into the season. According to the NFL Network, Scandrick and the Cowboys came to an agreement after the cornerback skipped the first part of offseason workouts. Scandrick has spent his entire career in Dallas and now he comes in with Byron Jones, Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr in the secondary. The team still has Carr to deal with and they could restructure his contract or release him heading into workouts.