There’s a plan for Dez, but Murray in a gray area

There is no question the biggest decisions facing the Dallas Cowboys this off-season concern the futures of their prized free agents, receiver Dez Bryant and running back DeMarco Murray.

Speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday, coach Jason Garrett called Bryant and Murray “cornerstone players for our football team” and considers their return next season key in the Cowboys’ ability to build on the success they had in 2014, which included a 12-4 record, an NFC East title and their first playoff win since 2009.

The Cowboys have made it clear on a number of occasions that Bryant isn’t going anywhere. He will be with the team next season via the franchise tag, which will pay him $13 million guaranteed, or a long-term deal. The latter is fleeting because the Cowboys have had no real talks on a new deal since Bryant changed agents in November.

But vice president Stephen Jones said Wednesday that Bryant’s immediate future is set.

“We’re fine with Dez,” Jones said. “So I’m not worried. We’re going to have Dez one way or the other.”

The real issue is whether the Cowboys can make a legitimate offer to keep Murray, who led the NFL is rushing last season and who stands to cash in big as a free agent.

The Cowboys are feverishly working to get a deal done with Murray before the start of free agency March 7 when they lose exclusive negotiating rights, according to a source.

The key is finding a way to make it work financially, given the diminishing value of the running back position and his hopes of being paid full-market value.

“I’ve said it every which way I can say it how much we’d like to have him back,” Jones said. “At the same time, he knows better than anybody we have a business that we have to run and so we have to consider that. This doesn’t go off tomorrow so we’re still in the middle of figuring around it … Work in progress.”

Jones said “we’ll continue to get our hands around it” before they lose exclusive control. The Cowboys plan to meet with Murray’s agents this week at the NFL Scouting Combine, though Jones said he already has a good idea of what Murray is seeking in a contract.

The fifth-year back from Oklahoma, who turned 27 last week, has an ally in Garrett, who said Murray can’t be easily replaced and rejected many of the major concerns regarding giving him a long-term contract extension.

Garrett said the diminishing value of the running back doesn’t necessarily apply to Murray and his situation with Cowboys.

“DeMarco’s a heck of a football player and has been since we drafted him a few years back,” Garrett said. “I think you’ll probably find if you really look at it, that running the football is an important part of all championship-type teams. the runner does matter. I think we’ve all seen that running backs don’t seem to be drafted quite as high as they used to. I think that has a lot to do with the longevity of the player. But I do think the value of the running back is really, really critical to having a great running football team. I think the history in the NFL proves that. Recent history proves that. He certainly had a big impact on our team.”

There has also been talk that any number of running backs could have success behind the Cowboys’ offensive line, which features three Pro Bowlers in guard Zack Martin, center Travis Frederick and tackle Tyron Smith. Garrett bristled at the notion the Cowboys could plug another back in the equation.

“I don’t like that expression, ‘Plug another back in there,’” Garrett said “DeMarco Murray led the NFL in rushing by, I think, over 500 yards. His impact on our football team was significant, our ability to control the line of scrimmage, control the football, helped the other parts of our team out. He was a big part of all that.

“The value of being able to hand the ball to somebody 25 times a game, week in and week out, is significant. His impact was huge for our team. But again, there’s a business of the NFL that we all understand. I know both sides are talking, we’re trying to get it done. Understand that every decision we make is in the best interest of the Dallas Cowboys. We feel like DeMarco Murray has done a great job for our football team and we’d love to have him back.”

Garrett has no concerns about Murray’s history of injuries. Last season was the first time he played all 16 games for the Cowboys since being taken in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Garrett said Murray demonstrated his toughness and durability with 392 carries and 57 receptions last season.

“The injury history for him is not a huge factor for us,” Garrett said. “Think about what we did this year with him. He carried the ball 450 times, he caught 61 passes, 511 touches. That’s a lot of football. He handled that really, really well. Again, the value of that guy who you can give the football to again and again and again, make big runs, make medium size runs, make a lot of dirty runs, maybe there’s a tackle for loss that he gets you back to the line of scrimmage. He did that again, and again, and again for us all year long. He’s really done it throughout his career.

“What we’ve tried to do as an organization is to shore up the infrastructure of this football team. We’ve drafted offensive linemen, three of the last four years in the first round. Those decisions have paid dividends, but having a guy like DeMarco Murray, certainly has paid dividends as well for us.”

This story was originally published February 18, 2015 at 8:45 PM with the headline "There’s a plan for Dez, but Murray in a gray area."