Recently, ESPN's John Clayton listed five teams that made sense as landing spots for former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice. Atop that list are the Dallas Cowboys.
"Jerry Jones appears to be content with starting the season with Joseph Randle and Darren McFadden running behind the best offensive line in football, but Rice could be an option if something happens to either player (Randle has had his own off-field issues, and McFadden has an extensive injury history," Clayton wrote. "As he's shown with the additions of Greg Hardy, Randy Gregory and La'El Collins, Jones is willing to take some chances on players with behavioral and/or legal issues in their past. The Cowboys are currently considering veteran RBs Felix Jones and Ben Tate."
It's true that Dallas is less than set in the backfield at the moment. Randle is an intriguing talent (6.7 yards-per-carry last year) but has just 105 career carries. McFadden is far from a sure thing, having played a full 16 games just once in his career and failing to top 3.4 YPC over the last three years. But would Rice really be a better option?
The 28-year-old ball-carrier has been out of football since 2013, when he averaged 3.1 YPC and caught the fewest passes in his career since his rookie year. Who knows if he can ever regain the dynamic playmaking skills he once possessed? Dallas also has to consider the impact of signing two players with domestic violence incidents in the past year, the other being Greg Hardy. What kind of message would that send?
I'm not saying that the Cowboys couldn't use an extra body in the backfield. Even with their superior offensive line, sometimes a running back has to make something happen by himself. But I'm not sure if Rice is the right guy to add at this time.
