DeMarco Murray may no longer be a member of the Dallas Cowboys, but he fully understands the dynamics of the locker room and who represents the leaders of that team.
The primary thing Murray wanted to stress to Cowboys rookie first-round pick Ezekiel Elliott was to follow tight end Jason Witten around. Mirror what the tight end does, and everything else will fall into place:
That message @DeMarcoMurray gave @EzekielElliott ? Be at @JasonWitten side, everywhere he goes, everything he does. Watch, listen, do same.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) May 6, 2016
This isn’t bad advice at all. First off, Witten has played at a high level in the NFL over the past 13 years, earning 10 Pro Bowl appearances in the process. He’s also the franchise’s all-time leader in receptions and consecutive games played.
Off the field, Witten is among the most-respected players in the entire league. He won the NFL’s Walter Peyton Man of the Year award following the 2012 season, and has his hands in a ton of community service projects.
More than anything, Witten’s SCORE Foundation, aimed at helping people overcome domestic violence, has been a godsend for those he’s aided during the most difficult of times.
Murray made sure to stress this importance to Elliott:
Murray: "Everything and everywhere he goes be there by his side watching and listening. He will show him the way on and off the field."
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) May 6, 2016
In turn, it seems that the veteran tight end was extremely touched by the comments his former teammate and current Tennessee Titans running back directed his way:
“People talk about how precious the relationships of teammates are and the brotherhood and bond,” Witten said, via ESPN. “I appreciate DeMarco’s kind words not because he said it but the relationship we have. We had a short few years together and we maximized it.”
It really is cool to see two former teammates praise one another as men. And in reality, both Witten and Murray could teach Elliott something about being a professional.
This bodes extremely well for the young running back’s ability to hit the ground running in Dallas, both on and off the field.