The top name on the NFL free agent market for 2015 is DeMarco Murray and with the chance out there that he could leave the Dallas Cowboys in free agency, teams like the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, NY Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks or Indianapolis Colts could be interested in signing him away if Jerry Jones lets him go and signs Dez Bryant back instead.
Murray is coming off of the best season of his career, but with the Cowboys also having to sign back Dez Bryant, there is a chance that there won't be enough money to go around. According to Todd Archer at ESPN Dallas, the Cowboys have the money and the maneuvering capability to sign both Bryant and Murray, so the real question is whether they want to or not, not anything about whether they can do it. Archer writes that the team likely will restructure some deals and will make some cuts, giving them around $20 million to work with.
The toughest issue will be finding some middle ground with Murray, as he is at the point in his career at his position when he is going to ask for the most money he will ever get. If that's not clear, what that means is: he is a running back, one of the toughest and shortest lived positions in the NFL and at 26 years
Adding to that, Murray has an injury history and while he made it through this season fine, Jones and company may cut loose early rather than late after he had a huge season in 2014.
Murray and his offensive work load this season could be what gets him a huge contract and could also be what leads him to another team. Murray showed off how good he is by handling the ball over 400 times this season and gaining over 2100 total yards, but that same production could be what scares off the Cowboys. Andrew Brandt wrote about Murray on the MMQB.com and he put up stats that when running backs have over 400 touches in a season, they almost always break down a bit the following year.
Murray rushed 393 times this season and he touched the ball over twice the amount this year than he had in his previous career high. Murray missed two games in 2013, six in 2012 and three in 2011 and during those three teams the most carries he had was 217 in 2013. Murray basically reached that by midseason this year and while he made a huge impact for the Cowboys, Jones has made it clear that signing Bryant is the first priority.
Jones has admitted keeping both Bryant and Murray will be very tough and that could mean signing one player over the other. ESPN Dallas writes that if Murray ends up leaving the Cowboys, it will be based on the choice of the team, as they do have the capability of signing him back if they want to. Murray himself acknowledged the fact that Jones may have to choose between him and Bryant, saying "Those guys know how I am as a person and I understand that business aspect," Murray said, via ESPN.com.
