Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones may think his team's running game will be better in 2015, but the rest of us that live on planet Earth know it's going to be tough to replace DeMarco Murray. The NFL's leading rusher last year fled for the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency and now Darren McFadden and Joseph Randle are left to pick up the pieces. That doesn't inspire a ton of confidence.
While the Cowboys will be okay in the running department with a dominant offensive line, they could still use a few extra ball carriers for good measure. That's why names like Felix Jones, Ben Tate and even Ray Rice have been tossed around. But how real is the interest in Rice? It's a question that was posed to ESPN Cowboys reporter Todd Archer in his weekly mailbag.
"I had a few Ray Rice questions this week," Archer wrote. "The fact that he wasn't among the workouts this week should tell you he's not on the Cowboys' radar. And I think the same would go for Chris Johnson. Rice was a declining player before he had his off-field troubles. He averaged 3.1 yards per carry in 2013. He's not the same runner you remember. Neither is Johnson, although if I had to make a choice between the two, I would take Johnson. If teams believed Rice had anything left, he would be signed by now, even with the off-field stuff. Teams take chances on troubled players all the time. Greg Hardy is a Cowboys because he can still rush the passer. If he couldn't, then he wouldn't be in the league."
Rice was likely never a serious consideration for the Cowboys. As of right now, the team seems content to head into the season with Joseph Randle as their presumed starter. Of course, a poor training camp, injuries or discipline from the league for an offseason arrest could change that in a heartbeat. But Dallas is betting that an offensive line that features three first-round picks and rookie first-round talent La'El Collins will be able to mask any deficiencies their running backs may have.
Let's see if they're right or not.
