Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: DeMarco Murray's 2014 Season "Not A Fluke"

Was DeMarco Murray’s season a fluke? | Bob Sturm, DMN
Sturm writes that Murray is a "vital cog" for the Cowboys, and explains why Murray's 2014 season was not a fluke.

Most everything he did was repeatable and sustainable in its design and execution. There is nothing complex about a zone stretch play to the outside, but rather the Cowboys have assembled a unit that carries it out very well.

Remember, Murray won the rushing title by almost 500 yards. A top 5 rusher was someone who had over 1,250 yards in 2014. He could regress by 600 yards and still do that. And if he is Top 5 in the NFL in rushing, he deserves his money.

I have complete confidence that he could be a 1,300 yard rusher for the next few years barring some health concern that every RB in football is subject to. In other words, I don’t think he "lucked" into his year and therefore is a major regression candidate.

Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray bet on himself before season began. Now he and club weigh options | David Moore, DMN
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com caused quite a stir in January when he announced to the world that the Cowboys had made Murray an offer worth $16 million over four years. He conveniently failed to mention that the specific offer had been on the table since early September, so the whole world got hot and bothered over a bit of news that was already four months old.

Moore writes that DeMarco Murray bet on himself and turned down the Cowboys offer of an extension. Looks like that bet will pay off handsomely. Buut how much is Murray worth?

"I’ll let my agent handle all that,’’ Murray said. "It’s only been two or three weeks since the season ended. I’m still relaxing and whatnot.’’

Signing bonus for Ryan Williams gives Cowboys backfield options - Clarence Hill, Star Telegram
The Cowboys might have offered a clue about their plans at running back when they signed Ryan Williams to a two-year futures contract, Hill writes. But those plans may be less about DeMarco Murray and more about Lance Dunbar.

If not a replacement for Murray, Williams’ contract could mean trouble for Dunbar, who is a restricted free agent and coming off a disappointing season in which the Cowboys didn’t find a role for him as planned.

There is a real good chance the Cowboys might not tender Dunbar a restricted free-agent contract offer because it comes with a $1.575 million price tag. That’s a lot of money for a running back who had 99 yards on 29 carries and no touchdowns in 2014.

Suh and/or Peterson to Dallas? Five predictions for 2015 offseason -- Adam Schefter, ESPN
No free agent article is complete without at least one mention of the Dallas Cowboys, and Shefter obliges, mentioning the Cowboys as a possible destination for Adrian Peterson and pointing out that playing in Dallas might appeal to Ndamukong Suh.

Many around the league do not expect the Lions to use their franchise tag on Suh because it would cost them $26.87 million -- just too steep a price. Assuming Suh is not tagged, he will be free to leave, and he probably would be the most desirable unrestricted free agent on the market. Those who know Suh believe that playing in New York, Dallas or Chicago always has appealed to him. The four teams in those cities certainly have the need; then again, any team could use Suh.

No big moves in Free Agency for the Cowboys - Todd Archer, ESPN Dallas
Jason Pierre-Paul, Ndamukong Suh, or Adrian Peterson? Not happening, according to Archer in his Twitter mailbag.

If you're waiting for the Cowboys to make big moves in free agency, like signing a big-name player, I think you will be waiting a long time. The big moves will be in attempting to keep their own guys, like Bryant and Murray and a few others. Personally, I think the best way to go about free agency is to do what they did last year: sign smaller deals with a number of guys to fill some holes leading into the draft. I'd put guys like Nick Hayden, Anthony Spencer and maybe even a Cole Beasley or Dwayne Harris into this category.

Cowboys Offseason Manifesto: Reallocation Way - KD Drummond, Scout.com
Worrying about the salary cap is only for the mathematically challenged. Drummond enlightens:

Dallas has at least $8.5 million in space right now, and that will jump to $17.5m as soon as they declare they aren’t bringing back Melton. Restructuring Tyron Smith could move them up to as high as $25.5 million. They could move on from Brandon Carr in such a way as to get to $33.5 million, and can have up to $46.5 million with a Romo restructure. Dallas could end up anywhere on that spectrum of cap space, depending on where they need to be.

Cowboys Free Agency 2015: It's Time To Cool The Free Agent Frenzy - Blogging The Boys
Every year the Cowboys fanbase gets excited about what big name free agents Jerry Jones will go out and sign, but the Cowboys are not going to invest precious cap space on star players from other teams, Tom Ryle writes.

Video: Every Touchdown From The 2014 Season | Dallas Cowboys
From DeMarco’s Murray first score against the 49ers to his playoff plunge at Lambeau, the mothership offers all the Cowboys’ 62 touchdowns in chronological order for the 2014 season.

Interesting facts about some of your favorite Cowboys | DMN
Hunters, bowlers, Pro Wrestling fans, sneaker aficionados; the Cowboys have got them all. The DMN collects some trivia on the 2014 Cowboys team.