NFL Player News

Free-agent running back Chris Johnson recently said he'd love to join the Cowboys. Though the Cowboys aren't in any rush to add another running back, Johnson isn't too far off the team's radar. 

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones was asked about Johnson in a conference call with season-ticket holders. Via the team's website, Jones said the team has at least some interest in Johnson. 

“We haven’t visited with Chris, and we can’t talk about him because he’s a free agent. But right now we’re looking at the guys that we have on our roster,” Jones said. “He is somebody that is on a short list of ours that we think could ultimately come in and do some good things for us if we asked him to. But I wouldn’t say it’s a priority right now.”

After running for 2,006 yards in 2009, Johnson has been unable to live up to expectations since. With the Jets a year ago, Johnson only totald 663 yards and one touchdown while notching just one start. 

The Cowboys added Darren McFadden this offseason after DeMarco Murray left for Philadelphia. Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar and Ryan Williams are the other backs on the roster. 

Running back Chris Johnson is still looking for a place to play next season. After being cut by the Jets at the end of 2014, Johnson believes he could be the answer to what the Cowboys need at running back after letting DeMarco Murray go to Philadelphia and not drafting a running back, according to the Dallas Morning News.

"I'd fit good in Dallas," Johnson said to TMZ. "They need it. Yeah. That's what we're trying to do. Cowboys, come holler at me."

Dallas signed Darren McFadden to a two-year deal in the offseason worth up to $5.85 million. Johnson had the worst rushing season in his career in 2014, totaling 663 yards on the ground with one touchdown.

The Buccaneers will not pick up the fifth-year option on running back Doug Martin, meaning he will be an unrestricted free agent in 2016, per the Tampa Tribune. 

Martin rushed for 1,454 yards in 2012, but since then has battled injury and ineffectiveness, falling short of 500 yards in each of the last two seasons. 

Martin remains in line to be Tampa Bay's No. 1 rusher at the start of 2015, but he will have to prove himself in order to be rewarded with a new contract. 

Cowboys running back Darren McFadden could see an expanded role next season, as a kick or punt returner, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Wide receiver Dwayne Harris left during the offseason for the Giants, leaving a vacant spot in the return game.

"We have some guys we feel who can go return right now both punt returners and kickoff returners," coach Jason Garrett said. "And hopefully we'll get a chance to bring some guys in college free agent type guys we targeted as well. We like the guys we have and we feel like we can go play right now with them and also create some competition with some younger guys."

McFadden was a kick returner for the Raiders in 2014 where he had three returns for 59 yards.

"He certainly could," Garrett said. "He's done it in his past."

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said after his team drafted running back David Johnson in the third round that Andre Ellington is expected to continue in his same role next season, ESPN.com reports.

"I think Andre will continue his same role," Arians said. "We’ll keep him healthy and let him continue to develop as a player, but the nice thing David can do is he can do everything Andre does, so you don’t have to change if there was an injury."

Ellington served as a three-down back for the Cardinals last season, but averaged just 3.3 yards per carry while racking up 660 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. He also gained 395 yards on 46 receptions while scoring two touchdowns through the air. After racking up eight carries of at least 20 yards in just 118 attempts in his rookie season, Ellington managed just four carries of 20-plus yards while receiving nearly twice the workload in 2014.

The Ravens announced Wednesday they have reached an agreement with exclusive rights free agent running back Fitzgerald Toussaint. The Ravens needed to make a contract offer before free agency opened or Toussaint would have become an unrestricted free agent.

Toussaint saw limited action last year for the Ravens, with six carries for 12 yards and three receptions in the regular season, and two rushes for five yards in the divisional playoffs in New England.

Toussaint will provide depth at running back with Bernard Pierce signing a deal with the Jaguars.

Cowboys running back Joseph Randle will not face felony domestic abuse charges as the Sedgwick County, Kansas District Attorney cleared him in allegations made by his ex-girlfriend, per the Dallas Morning News, due to a lack of evidence.

Randle was involved in an incident with Dalia Jacobs, on Feb. 3 at a hotel in his hometown of Wichita, Kan. Jacobs accused Randle of pointing a gun at her friend and the infant son she has with the running back. She also said in a police report that Randle shattered the window of a car, sending glass flying across her friend and their son.

Randle could have faced a possible six-game suspension by the NFL if he had been charged in the case for a first-time offense under the league’s personal conduct policy.

Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson followed up a promising rookie season by catching just 33 passes for 384 yards and one touchdown in 2014 while making just six starts. He feels like 2015 will be a make or break year, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

"This year is going to make me or break me, and I hope I step up and have a good role in this offense," Patterson said Monday during the second week of voluntary workouts.

Patterson worked out in San Francisco last month while many of his offensive teammates were working out in Los Angeles.

"I feel like I needed to work on something different from what those guys were doing," Patterson said. "So I went to San Francisco."

He indicated he touched up on some skills that needed refining.

"This whole offseason, I spent a lot of time just thinking to myself, 'How can I get better?' " he said. "I just want to let my game speak for itself. I just focused on the little things that really matter, and I hope this year will be way better than last year. Just route running. Growing up, I was always athletic and could just do anything. I'm in the NFL now, so I just have to focus on my craft and just work at route running, getting in and getting out of breaks and stuff like that."

Patterson could open the season as the team's slot receiver depending on how the Vikings approach this weekend's draft.

The Buccaneers have announced that running back Bobby Rainey has signed a one-year qualifying offer the team extended to him before the free agency period. He was a restricted free agent and was given an opportunity to negotiate with other teams.

Rainey will compete for playing time with Tampa Bay. He rushed for 406 yards in 2014, but faded at the end of the season with just two carries in the last six games combined.

If the Cardinals decide to draft a running back in one of the higher rounds, running back Andre Ellington would be OK with it. 

Ellington was a three-down back for Arizona last year that got plenty of touches in the running and passing games. But if the Cardinals use a high pick on a running back, that could cut into Ellington's touches. 

That's something that wouldn't bother Ellington. 

“It’s whatever will better our team,” Ellington told the team's website. “That’s most important. No one is going to hate any decisions. I’m sure those guys will make the best decisions to help the team. We’ll accept any guy who comes in.”

Another quality runner could help Ellington, who dealt with numerous injuries a year ago, in the long run. His season ended last December after undergoing hernia surgery.