It seems the rumors concerning the running back position just don’t want to go away. I guess since the quarterback position isn’t ripe for rumors, people have switched their attention to the backfield.

The latest rumor: Larry Johnson for Julius Jones and the 1st round draft pick aquired from the Cleveland Browns.

Good deal? Not a chance.

There is no doubt that Larry Johnson is a more proven commodity than Julius Jones, but the price tag is too high. Johnson is 27, and running backs start slowing down when they hit their thirties, so that would leave three seasons. Johnson might be able to last a little longer considering he wasn’t a feature back until his third year in the league, but a potential top ten draft choice doesn’t come around very often.

The smart move is to hang on to the pick and shore up the position with Darren McFadden, the running back sensation out of Arkansas, if neither Julius Jones or Marion Barber raise their stock this year.

The scary thing is I wouldn’t put it past Jerry Jones to make such a deal. He talks a good game about not giving away future draft picks, and hopefully he learned from the Galloway trade what a huge gamble that can be, but what Jones says to the media and what Jones actually thinks can be two very different things.

When you look at a defense brimming with talent, a new head coach who is a defensive genius, and an offense with Terrell Owens, Terry Glenn, Jason Witten, and Tony Romo… well, let’s just say a premier running back can be very tempting.

But, I would vote on a pass. Jones and Barber combined for over 1,700 yards last year, which isn’t too shabby. I’d pass on the trade and look for McFadden or a similar premier back in next year’s draft if there is still a need in the backfield.

Now, if we modify that trade to Julius Jones and Dallas’s first round pick, that’s a bit more interesting. The Cleveland pick could very well be a top five pick — a very valuable pick — but the Dallas pick could be number 20+. It would stifle some maneuverability in next years draft to trade it away, but if the Browns do as badly this year as we all hope they will that would be moot.