News came down this weekend that the Dallas Cowboys expect to use their franchise tag on wide receiver Dez Bryant.This leaves the leading rusher in the NFL, and by a wide margin of 484 yards, free to test the open market.
Cowboys Vice President Stephen Jones commented on the contract talks with Murray…
Jones described talks with unrestricted free agent running back DeMarco Murray’s agents as “slow” up to this point.
“[Murray] is probably going to, you know, get some peace and see what’s out in the market and then we’ll talk and see. I do believe deep down he’d love to stay in Dallas.”
It looks like Jones wants Murray and his agent to hit the road and come back to him with a contract offer in hand that he can match. If the Cowboys truly want to keep Murray, this isn’t the best strategy. Once Murray gets the offer he wants, he’s likely to go with the team that made the offer.
But it doesn’t seem like Jones is too worried about this happening…
“We’ve had some really good football players go into free agency: Jay Novacek and Darren Woodson and, you know, they still sign with the Cowboys. So, just because you’re a free agent doesn’t mean you’re not necessarily going to end up back in Dallas.”
Is the lure of staying a part of the Dallas Cowboys simply too much for Murray to ignore. Will he be a good soldier and go get an offer and bring it back so the Cowboys can match it?
The good news here for the Cowboys is that the running back position is the most easily replaceable in the NFL. But, the Cowboys won’t just be replacing any running back. They will be looking to replace a running back that just broke their single-season rushing record.
With the Cowboys finishing 12-4 last season and winning a playoff game, you have to think they will try at all costs to keep the “band” together especially with Tony Romo’s window starting to close.
Keep an eye on Demarco Murray this off-season. It will be interesting to see what the market yields for the best running back in the NFL, if he finds a new home, and if so, how the Cowboys replace him.
