Dallas Cowboys: DeMarco Murray and his time with America’s Team
On Friday, DeMarco Murray retired from the NFL, leaving a league where he had his greatest seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.
Former Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray retired from the NFL on Friday, leaving the league after seven seasons — four of which he played for the Cowboys, one with the Philadelphia Eagles and two with the Tennessee Titans, where he finished his career.
While with the Cowboys franchise, Murray had not only two of his three career 1,000-plus yard rushing seasons, but also his greatest season where he led the league in rushing and was named a first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association and the Sporting News.
Murray’s greatest season was in 2014, where he earned the All-Pro honors by being a big part of a trio of Cowboys offensive players which also included quarterback Tony Romo and wide receiver Dez Bryant, none of whom are currently on the Cowboys roster.
As reported by ESPN.com on Friday, Murray announced his retirement:
"“It’s been a long time thinking, the last year or two, and physically, mentally and emotionally, I think it’s time for me to hang it up,” Murray said while making his announcement Friday on ESPN’s NFL Live.”"
As the starting running back for the Cowboys, Murray made 16 starts in 2014 — the only season he achieved that feat with the Cowboys — leading the league with 392 carries, along with a league-best 1,845 yards rushing, 13 rushing touchdowns and 115.3 rushing yards per game, also league-best totals.
That 2014 season for Murray showcased how great the Cowboys’ offense was that season, as not only did the Cowboys have excellence at quarterback, running back and wide receiver with the aforementioned trio of players, but the Cowboys had future Hall of Famer Jason Witten at tight end and a great offensive line that led the way for all of those players as Dallas eventually won the NFC Championship.
In the 2014 season, Murray also totaled 2,261 yards from scrimmage where he caught 54 passes (64 targets) for 416 yards, catching 89.1 percent of passes his direction.
But besides the excellent 2014 season, in his four seasons with the Cowboys Murray played in 53 regular-season games, including 47 starts where he rushed 934 times for 4,526 yards and 28 touchdowns. Murray had his longest run of his career while with the Cowboys, going for a 91-yard touchdown in his rookie season — as he was drafted in the third round, 71st overall — of 2011 against the St. Louis Rams for his first career touchdown.
Murray played in two playoff games with the Cowboys, both also in ’14, finishing with 44 rushes for 198 yards and two touchdowns. Murray’s final game with the Cowboys was on Jan. 11, 2015, where in the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs he rushed for 123 yards on 25 carries and one touchdown.
Following that season, the Cowboys didn’t give Murray what he wanted with his contract and let Murray walk as an All-Pro, signing a contract with the Eagles. Murray played one year with Philly, making eight starts and playing in 15 games, totaling 702 yards on 193 rushes for six touchdowns. From there, his final two seasons were with the Titans, reviving his career in 2016 when he totaled 1,287 yards with nine touchdowns.
Murray’s final season saw him make 15 starts in Tennessee with 659 yards rushing on 184 carries, along with six touchdowns.
When one looks back at the Cowboys career of Murray, one must be pleased with his four years with the franchise, especially with his final two seasons on the roster of America’s Team. As a rookie, Murray had nearly 900 yards on the ground, and though season two had a setback, the final two years of Murray brought success back to the franchise, especially the aforementioned 2014 season.
Murray was a solid running back during his NFL tenure, ranking 62nd all-time, and he’s sixth all-time on the all-time Cowboys rushing leader list. When thinking of Murray, it is a “what could have been” if he continued his Cowboys career as two other running backs in Darren McFadden and Ezekiel Elliott have become 1,000-plus-yard rushers with the franchise since Murray left.
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The 2014 season will always be special to Cowboys fans, and if it wasn’t for Murray that season, the Cowboys would have been hard-pressed to achieve all they did. Murray retires as one of the better players to ever wear the Cowboys star, but one who left a lot on the table, along with the question of “what if,” had he stayed with the team.