In what probably will not prove to be a calming influence on speculation over Adrian Peterson’s future, a pair of writers for the Dallas Cowboys posted columns Thursday on the team’s official website debating a trade for the running back.

Rob Phillips, senior writer for the team, said the move would make the Cowboys a “serious contender.” His colleague David Helman argued that while the time was ripe for a deal, the price would be too high.

The posts came after the announcement that Peterson, suspended following a child abuse case in Texas, will be reinstated by the league Friday.

Dallas has been among the more popular gossip-driven destinations for him should he and the Vikings part ways, if only because Peterson is from Texas and Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones has a history of splashy moves.

Phillips made it clear from the outset that his position was not the official company line. Peterson is still under contract in Minnesota, he noted, and the Cowboys — who lost star running back DeMarco Murray in free agency this offseason — haven’t said publicly they want him.

“So, unless something drastic changes in the coming days or weeks, what you’re about to read is essentially transcribed bar talk,” Phillips wrote.

The points of the column are nothing other NFL writers haven’t expressed elsewhere. But writing the piece on the team’s dime and for the team’s website raised eyebrows. More than a few people wondered if the column amounted to tampering with a player under contract — particularly in light of similar accusations against Jones regarding Peterson just last year.

Pro Football Talk determined it probably didn’t rise to that level, citing league policy that specifically addresses the issue: “Articles that appear on the website of a club that identify prospective free agents that the team might be interested in, or that rate prospective free agents, shall not be considered violations of the Anti-Tampering Policy unless they include a direct quote or expression of interest by an employee of the club (other than the author of the article) about a specific player.”

But to quote Phillips’ column, which perhaps put it best: “It’s worth shooting the breeze about, at least.”

Marino Eccher can be reached at 651-228-5421. Follow him at twitter.com/MarinoEccher.