Back to the Dallas Cowboys Newsfeed

Film room: Why the Cowboys should trade for Browns RB Duke Johnson

Heading into the 2015 NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys desperately needed a running back. Fresh off setting the team's single-season record for rushing yards with 1,845 in 2014, DeMarco Murray signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency.

The Cowboys had signed Darren McFadden to a two-year contract, but that wasn't supposed to stop them from drafting a running back.

One prospect who was frequently connected to the Cowboys at the time was Miami product Duke Johnson, a 5-foot-9, 207-pound back billed as an effective zone runner with an exciting skill set.

Fast-forward to the draft, and the only thing that may have prevented Johnson from dawning the star was Randy Gregory's precipitous fall from top-10 pick to the late second round.