Dallas Cowboys: Big decisions looming in offseason
By Nick Ziegler
The Dallas Cowboys have very difficult decisions to make in the coming weeks and months, as two of their star players are free agents this offseason, and the Cowboys don’t exactly have a ton of cap room to keep them both.
Running back DeMarco Murray and wide receiver Dez Bryant are both free agents this offseason, and they were both obviously huge parts to the Cowboys’ success this season, and are both also both elite players at their position.
The Cowboys can bring them both back with some creativity in their contracts, and some restructuring of other contacts, but the big question for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys will be is it a smart move?
Last season Murray was the NFL’s leading-rusher with 1,845 yards rushing, and 13 rushing TD. In addition to being such a workhorse on the ground, Murray was also a big part of the Cowboys’ passing attack last season. Murray proved to be one of the Cowboys’ top receivers with 57 catches for 416 yards.
There is certainly a lot of concern about re-signing Murray to a long-term deal, as his durability has been questioned all season, and he is coming off a huge amount of touches in 2014. Running backs have become seemingly become a dime-a-dozen in the NFL now-a-days, and with the Cowboys’ great offensive line there has to be the belief that they were a major reason for the success of Murray.
Bryant will be the second Cowboys’ star that the organization will have to make a big decision on whether or not to lock him up long-term, or let him walk via free agency. Last season was a very good for Bryant, as he caught 88 passes for 1,320 yards with 16 TD. In the past three seasons, Bryant has really emerged as one of the best in the game, and this season the attention he drew really helped WR like Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley have productive seasons.
The main concern with re-signing Bryant has nothing to do with his on the field production, but likely will have everything to do with some of the issues he’s had off it.
“We want to be active,” Jones said of free agency. “I think the word really is attentive because we won’t be active if the player is out of kilter with what we can afford or out of kilter with what his number is relative to what he can do for us. So, it just is going to depend. What the good news is, we’re in a lot better shape under the cap than we’ve been at any time over the last two or three years. That’s good. And my hat is off to Stephen [Jones]. My hat’s off to the staff there.”
The use of the franchise tag will surely come into effect for Bryant and Murray, but for cap purposes, long-term deals are the way to go for the Cowboys if they want to keep both Murray and Bryant.
Jones and the Cowboys’ front office is certainly doing much better in the past few seasons with more influence from Stephen, and this offseason can be a crucial for the future of the Cowboys.