The Dallas Cowboys continue to do their best to fill the major hole left by the departure of running back DeMarco Murray and his 2,200 all-purpose yards in 2014 via the NFL bargain bin.
After signing oft-injured former first-round pick Darren McFadden earlier this offseason, the Boys are now taking a look at another injury-prone ball-carrier with ample talent.
ESPN's Josina Anderson reported Thursday that the Cowboys and GM/owner Jerry Jones had brought in Ben Tate for a work out.
With a running back depth chart currently consisting of McFadden, a guy who has played in all 16 games in a season just once in seven NFL seasons, and a handful of mostly unknowns in Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar and Ryan Williams, it makes ample sense that the Boys would look to make an addition.
Whether Tate would wind up being a quality addition though, is debatable.
Tate, a former second-round pick of the Houston Texans in the 2010 NFL Draft, most recently played for the Minnesota Vikings.
He actually began the 2014 season as a member of the Cleveland Browns but appeared in just eight games. The running back needy Vikings picked him up - thanks to the absence of a one, Mr. Adrian Peterson - and he appeared in three games, gathering 13 carries and 38 yards.
Tate seemed set to take the league by storm thanks to his natural gifts after being selected by Houston, but a broken ankle during the pre-season shelved the then-Texans runner for the entirety of his rookie season.
Tate rebounded though, posting 942 yards rushing on 175 carries and four touchdowns during an electrifying second season with the Texans.
Arian Foster's firm grip on the starting spot and the overall competitiveness of the Houston backfield limited Tate to 11 games and 279 yards in season three though, and he never quite seemed able to regain his initial form thereafter.
Tate signed with the Browns in the 2014 offseason, but quickly became frustrated with his limited carries. The team released him and he signed with Minnesota.
Tate actually wound up with the Pittsburgh Steelers just prior to the 2014 NFL playoffs after they lost Le'Veon Bell to injury. He carried the ball five times for 19 yards in the Steelers postseason loss to the Ravens.
Tate's a big back - 5-foot-11, 220-pounds - and he'll gain the hard yards. He has limited versatility though and is fairly one-dimensional.
Still, he'd represent a low-cost, possibly high-reward pick up and a potentially nice complement to McFadden for Jones and Co. were the Cowboys to in fact sign him
