BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Cowboys' free agency activity picked up this week with the additions of running back Alfred Morris and defensive end Benson Mayowa. They've now signed three agents from outside the organization: Morris, Mayowa and defensive tackle Cedric Thornton. Head coach Jason Garrett spoke about the team's three new players Wednesday during the NFC Coaches Breakfast at the Annual NFL Meeting.
RB Alfred Morris
"We've had a chance to play against him a couple times a year throughout his career," Garrett said. "He's always been very productive in our games. He's always been productive really with the opportunities he's gotten throughout this career. He's a very impressive back to us. He's a natural runner. He's just a good football player and anybody who's had a chance to go against him as much as we have and seen him as much as we have, we just have a real healthy respect for him. Darren McFadden is a guy that we have on our roster that we think a lot of. Lance Dunbar is a guy who's coming off of an injury – excited to get him back in the fold. And we just thought adding Alfred to the team would help our running game. He's an accomplished player, productive player. We're excited to have him.
"The best runners I've been around, they get hit at three yards and they make four and a half and five. They get hit at five and they make six or seven. And he's done that throughout his career regardless of what the run style is."
DE Benson Mayowa
"He's a younger player and we felt like there was a clearly defined role for him," Garrett said. "He's a guy who has come into games for them and has been a rotational player. You see him bring some juice and he's been a productive player for them in the role that he's had. He can contribute on special teams. But again, a younger developmental player who we think can add to the competition on the defensive line. We see a defined role for him. We felt like he was a good get for us."
DT Cedric Thornton
"He plays the right way, he's productive, he's active, he's physical and we've had a chance to go against him a couple times a year (vs. Philadelphia)," Garrett said. "So we know him well and we're lucky to have him on our side.
"We definitely see him as an interior player, but in their scheme he's played all along their defensive line. You see him play as a zero nose, you see him play as a shade nose, you see him play as a three (technique), you see him play as an end in their 3-4 alignment. He's been a guy who has a number of different things. They've had a couple different schemes since he's been there so you've see him align along that defensive line and have different roles. Again, excited to have him here. He plays the right way. He's the right kind of guy, so we think he can help our team."
