Reports: Dallas Cowboys interested in Duke Johnson, C.J. Anderson

The Dallas Cowboys need to find a suitable backup for All-Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott. And it looks like they’ll do so outside of the draft.

Last season, Dallas Cowboys‘ starting running back Ezekiel Elliott led the NFL in rushing for the second time in three years, posting 1,434 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Zeke also carried the ball 304 times, leading the league in attempts for the second time in that same span.

In 2018, Elliott also recorded a career-high 77 receptions for 567 yards and three more scores. He led the Cowboys in catches last season as well.

The point is, Elliott is arguably the hardest working player in the NFL. Entering his fourth season, and considering his furious rushing style, the Cowboys have to be more diligent about scaling back Zeke’s usage to extend his career. In order to do so, they’ll need to find an adequate backup who can spell Elliott and still be impactful.

So it comes as no surprise that the Cowboys have been linked with two running back rumored to be on the market. The first is the Cleveland Browns’ Duke Johnson. The former 2015 third rounder out of Miami (FL.) has never posted more than 379 rushing yards in a single season. But he’s a speedy receiving threat out of the backfield that Dallas undoubtedly covets as a possible change-of-pace back to Elliott.

Johnson is believed to be on the trading block after the Browns’ signed controversial running back Kareem Hunt earlier this offseason. The 25-year old signed a three-year, $15.6 million extension just last June.

According to reports by Andy Slater of 640 The Hurricane and Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, three teams have inquired about possibly obtaining the services of the talented Mr. Johnson. The Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles are allegedly among them.

The other running back the Cowboys are apparently interested in is the Los Angeles Ram’s C.J. Anderson. This rumor comes from the FS1 debate show, Undisputed. According to co-host and sports commentator Skip Bayless, Anderson himself indicated he had been in discussions with the Cowboys during a commercial break while making an appearance on the show last month.

Anderson destroyed the Cowboys in the Divisional round of the playoffs last season, rushing for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries in a 30-22 Rams victory that helped to propel the team to a Super Bowl appearance.

The 28-year old veteran running back went undrafted out of California back in 2013 and spent his first five seasons in the NFL as a member of the Denver Broncos. Anderson’s best performance in Denver came in 2017, when he rushed for 1,007 yards and three scores as a 16-game starter, averaging 4.1 yards per carry.

Last season, C.J. Anderson bounced around the league making stops with the Carolina Panthers and the Oakland Raiders before finally signing with the Rams in December. Anderson is set to become a free agent later this month.