INDIANAPOLIS – Jason Garrett didn't have a great answer when asked about Felix Jones' future with the team. But his non-answer seemed good enough to figure out Jones will not be a part of the Cowboys' plans in 2013.
The unrestricted free agent will likely get to the open market and find a new home next season.
Garrett did talk about the type of back the Cowboys are looking for to back up DeMarco Murray.
Garrett admitted there is a dilemma on wanting a change-of-pace back for Murray, but also one who can be a starting back if/when Murray goes down with an injury, considering he missed six games last year and four as a rookie.
"What you want is the best football player behind him first and foremost," Garrett said. "You don't want to over analyze (and say) 'You want this kind of back or that kind of back.' I do think you want to be able to keep playing football when he gets hurts or if he gets hurt and is not available to you. Often times you need a bigger sturdier back to be able to do that."
The Cowboys ran into those problems last year when Murray went down with a sprained foot. Felix Jones, who never even carried the load as a starter in college, was asked to start but struggled to give the Cowboys the same type of player as Murray. The Cowboys also used backups Phillip Tanner and Lance Dunbar, but neither showed they could handle a full load of carries like Murray. [embedded_ad]
Garrett reiterated he would prefer to have a backup tailback with similar skills.
"What we will try to do is have the best No. 2 running back that we can and play to that person's strength," Garrett said. "You definitely want to play in a similar style if he is not available to you."
