The New Orleans Saints brought back Mark Ingram on a new deal and the Dallas Cowboys are vying with a couple of teams - most notably the Philadelphia Eagles - for the services of last season's NFL leading rusher, DeMarco Murray, but that hasn't kept either team from eyeing another former first-round back looking for a new home in NFL free agency.
CJ Spiller, the former Buffalo Bills running back, is drawing interest from both the Saints and Cowboys, according to a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Spiller, 27, dealt with a collarbone injury last season which robbed him of seven games. He finished the year with 78 rushes for 300 yards and 19 receptions for 125 yards.
He's a versatile back that can impact the game in a number of ways - assuming he manages to stay healthy. While this past season was the first of his NFL career in which Spiller missed significant time, he's been dinged up repeatedly in the past.
Entering his sixth NFL season, Spiller's best year came in 2012 when he posted 1,244 yards rushing on 207 attempts and added 43 receptions for 459 yards.
For his career he has 668 carries for 3,321 yards and 12 touchdowns.
With the Saints, Spiller would provide a significant amount of lightning to the recently re-signed Ingram's thunder. Ingram and the Saints came together on a new four-year deal on the eve of free agency which has $7.6 million in guarantees.
Ingram ran for 964 yards and nine touchdowns on 226 carries last year - far and away the best statistical season of his career.
With All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham dealt to the Seahawks in the opening moments of the new league year, it could signal a change in offensive philosophy for the Saints. Quarterback Drew Brees is only signed for two more seasons and already in his age 36 season - the moves to strengthen the running back position could be the harbinger of a Brees-less, running game-centric world in New Orleans.
Most likely not starting next season, but perhaps in the not-too-distant future.
As for the Cowboys, Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar don't provide anywhere near the abilities of the potentially departed Murray. Murray, rumored to be interested in joining the Eagles - and reportedly drawing interest from the Raiders - may be on his way out of Dallas.
While the Cowboys don't seem to have much leverage in the situation, they're reportedly willing to look to the draft and guys like Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon to replace the talented, but mileage-heavy Murray.
Bringing in Spiller would add a fresh dynamic to the running back position for Dallas at the same time as it would lessen the need for them to snag a highly-touted runner in the 2015 NFL Draft, though it certainly wouldn't preclude them from doing so.
