What came as quite a shock, free agent DeMarco Murray, has signed a five-year deal with the NFC East division rival Philadelphia Eagles.
Cowboy fans are left scratching their heads and hoping a replacement can be found.
That will be a very tall order. Tony Romo arguably had the best season of his career, and the Cowboys looked better than they had in a long time. Many picked them to win the Super Bowl last season.
It was a memorable season that some compared to the great Cowboy teams of the ’90s with Troy Aikman and Emmett Smith.
But next to Tony Romo behind center throughout the season was the NFL’s 2014 rushing champion, DeMarco Murray. Murray rushed for a Cowboy franchise record 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns on 392 carries last year.
Murray denied this move was about the money, saying that he felt it was a “great opportunity” for him to win a Super Bowl. We would all like to remind DeMarco Murray that he had one of the greatest seasons for one of the greatest teams we have seen in quite a while.
The Eagles have had some disappointing seasons, but put together a good one last year. It will be interesting to see how they do next season after trading their quarterback to get the often injured, Sam Bradford from the Rams.
The Cowboys would have loved to have kept Murray, but simply could not match the Eagles as they are near their salary cap after giving Dez Bryant a raise with the franchise tag.
Despite losing DeMarco Murray, Cowboy fans should not worry too much yet. Romo and Murray both have to give a large amount of credit to the spectacular play of the Dallas offensive line. They were one of the very best, if not the best, in the league.
If the O-Line can be among the best next season, run production will be there, Tony Romo will stay healthy and maybe 2015 will be another magical season for the Dallas Cowboys.
