Former Dallas Cowboys star running back Emmitt Smith is among those who believe the team’s offense won’t suffer after losing DeMarco Murray to the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency.
Speaking with 1310 The Ticket in Dallas, Smith made it clear he expects the team’s running game to thrive without Murray:
Emmitt Smith on @dfwticket said he expects Cowboys run game to have similar success. Says offense should be as effective if not more potent.
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 20, 2015
This mirrors comments made by Jerry Jones this spring, when the bold-speaking owner actually said the running game “has improved” since Murray left.
The Cowboys will roll with former Oakland Raiders oft-injured star Darren McFadden and Joseph Randle, who has definitely shown flashes during his tenure in Dallas. Also in the mix for playing time is Lance Dunbar and former Arizona Cardinals back Ryan Williams, along with former Baylor star Lache Seastrunk.
Helping their cause this year is an offensive line that many agree is the best in the business. Last year’s crew paved the way for Murray to lead the league in rushing with 1,845 yards, and it got better with the addition of rookie La’el Collins.
With Romo behind center there’s no doubt the Cowboys are going to move the ball through the air. He’s one of the league’s most prolific passers, and Dez Bryant (now happy with his new contract) is still ascending as the best receiver in the game.
Dallas ranked No. 6 in the league last year in terms of total yardage (383.6 yards per game) and No. 5 in terms of points scored (29.2 points per game). It would be a tremendous accomplishment to eclipse those gaudy totals, but it’s certainly not out of the question.
Expectations are always high during the offseason with every team. This is all the more true when it comes to the Cowboys—a team that expects to be competing for a Super Bowl every year.
However, given the loss of Murray, it will be surprising if Dallas exceeds its rushing totals of a year ago, meaning the passing game will need to take up the slack to achieve “more potent” status this season.
Photo Credit: manginphotography.net