The Dallas Cowboys are hoping to keep DeMarco Murray in free agency this offseason, but they have a plan B in CJ Spiller on the free agent market and this comes as the team is working on a new deal with Dez Bryant, who was hit with the franchise tag and has some rumors going around about his involvement in an incident that was caught on video years ago.
Murray is set to hit the free agent market on Tuesday and he is allowed to speak with team ahead of the start of the league year. The Cowboys feel they have a good chance to hang on to Murray, as they reportedly think he will give them a chance to match any offer he gets on the market before signing. The Cowboys have bryant as a priority and while the video rumors have died down over the past week, Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk reports it could have an affect on the contract talks, but that a deal likely will get done.
The Cowboys are hoping that a "soft market" will help bring Murray back to Dallas, according to Pro Football Talk, but there is a chance a team like the Raiders pays big for him. Murray is a bit of a risk because of his past injury history and his age, but after rushing for 1845 yards last season, he established himself as one of the best backs in football. The Raiders, Browns, Jets and Colts all have needs at RB and they all have a high amount of cap money to spend in free agency.
According to Pro Football Talk, Spiller is considered a fall back option for the Cowboys if they lose Murray and another name they could look at is Mark Ingram. PFT writes that league sources have said that the Cowboys are interested in Spiller, who injured for part of last season and could come cheaper than expected as a result of that. Spiller had his best season in 2012 while playing under Chan Gailey and that makes him a target for the Jets, as Gailey is now offensive coordinator. Spiller has a career yards per carry average of 5.0 yards and he is a skilled receiver out of the backfield, which makes him an option for the Eagles as well.
The Cardinals and Dolphins are reportedly targets for Spiller and the Cowboys could miss out on him if he signs before Murray makes a decision. According to Pro Football Talk, Ingram is a target for the Eagles after trading McCoy to the Bills, as he is a fit with Chip Kelly's style of offense. The Saints may want to keep Ingram, but they are not even under the cap yet and have to make some moves before doing it.
Murray comes in after putting up career numbers last season and it was the first time he had made it through 16 games without missing any time for the Cowboys. Murray played in 14 games in 2013 while rushing for over 1000 yards for the first time in his career and in 2012 he missed six games while rushing for 663 yards. According to Pro Football Talk, some in the Cowboys organization feel the strong play of the offensive line was the main reason for Murray's success and that could cause them to lowball him to start contract talks.