The Dallas Cowboys may have just lost their top running back in a run-first offense, but that doesn’t mean the team plans on going away from that aspect of the game.
DeMarco Murray put up an incredible spread of 1,845 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns last season. Now, the Cowboys wish to continue plodding ahead with a run-first scheme in 2015, according to head coach Jason Garrett.
DeMarco is a great football player and a great young man. What he was able to do for our ball club last year was phenomenal.” Garrett said, via Dallas Morning News. “He had a huge impact on the success that we had. We wanted him to be a Cowboy not just for this coming year but for many years to come. … Unfortunately that didn’t work out. Now we have to move on and make the next best decision for our team.
This is the first time Garrett has spoken out about Murray’s departure. When asked if the team would be able to maintain the yardage he produced, Garrett had this to say:
Absolutely. It has to be replaced. It was a good style of football for us to play. We will try to continue to do that.
With the Cowboys utilizing a heavy run game last year, it took a ton of pressure off of quarterback Tony Romo who completed a career-high 69.9 percent of his passes. Romo also had a stellar December where he threw 12 touchdowns and only one interception, which helped boost the team to a near NFC Championship game appearance.
As for replacing Murray, the Cowboys currently have newly signed running back Darren McFadden on board. McFadden managed to complete his only 16-game season for the first time in 2014. However, he only put up 534 rushing yards and two touchdowns, averaging 3.4 yards per carry. Do we see 1,845 rushing yards suddenly coming from Run DMC in 2015? Of course not.
Along with McFadden, the Cowboys also have Lance Dunbar, Joseph Randle and Ryan Williams, none of whom appear to be the workhorse the team needs moving forward.
The Cowboys would certainly benefit from shopping for a rookie running back or two in this year’s NFL draft. The good news here is that this version of the draft is one of the deepest at the running back position in recent history.
Photo: USA Today