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10 things Cowboys must contemplate before signing Murray
February, 17, 2015
By Jean-Jacques Taylor | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas -- Most of the time, we view a contract negotiation from the player's perspective. Sometimes, it's interesting to look at a negotiation from the team's perspective.
Here's a look at the multitude of issues the Cowboys must examine before signing DeMarco Murray to a long-term deal.
Here they are:
• When a running back carries the ball 392 times in a season, he’s going to fall apart. Seattle gave 27-year-old Shaun Alexander an eight-year, $62 million deal with $15 million guaranteed after he gained 1,880 yards and scored 27 touchdowns in 2005. He played three more seasons, starting just 20 games, while gaining only 1,636 yards.
• Then there’s Larry Johnson, who received a five-year, $43.2 million deal with $19 million guaranteed, after gaining 1,789 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2006. He played five more seasons, but started just 27 games. He scored eight touchdowns in his last five seasons.
• Left tackle Tyron Smith and right guard Zack Martin were named All-Pro. Center Travis Frederick was second-team All-Pro. Each made the Pro Bowl. It’s fair to ask whether the Cowboys’ dominant offensive line could make a lot of runners look as good as Murray did this season.
• Murray carried the ball a league-leading 392 times in 2014. Give any good runner 392 carries, and he’s going to gain a bunch of yards. Is Murray a real difference-maker?
• Only Detroit, Kansas City and Chicago have a quarterback, running back and receiver with an average salary among the NFL’s top 10. Detroit is the only one of those three teams that made the playoffs. If Murray and Dez Bryant re-sign with the Cowboys, Dallas will probably be the fourth team with all three in the top 10 .
• The Dallas Mavericks were wrong about Steve Nash breaking down, and the Texas Rangers were wrong about Ivan Rodriguez doing the same. Will the Cowboys’ front office survive intact, if they’re wrong about Murray breaking down and he signs elsewhere?
• The Cowboys are all about team-friendly deals these days after being in salary-cap jail for the past few seasons. Smith and Sean Lee signed team-friendly deals, and the Cowboys seem ready to let Murray walk, if he doesn’t sign a team-friendly deal.
• Can they afford to waste another season by Romo, if Murray walks and his replacement is not adequate?
• Murray is a good receiver and a quality blocker, especially on third-down. He plays through injury, when possible, as we saw this season. But how much are his intangibles worth?
• This is a terrific draft for running backs whether we’re talking Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon, Georgia’s Todd Gurley, Miami’s Duke Johnson or Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah. If the Cowboys must replace Murray, this is a good year to do it.
• Talk to the Cowboys’ offensive lineman or Murray, and they all spend quite a bit of time discussing the trust they have in each other. Murray can run patiently because he expects the holes to be there, and the linemen can wait just another tick to set up their block because they know he’ll be patient. How long will it take another runner to find the same rhythm with this line?
February, 17, 2015
By Jean-Jacques Taylor | ESPNDallas.com
IRVING, Texas -- Most of the time, we view a contract negotiation from the player's perspective. Sometimes, it's interesting to look at a negotiation from the team's perspective.
Here's a look at the multitude of issues the Cowboys must examine before signing DeMarco Murray to a long-term deal.
Here they are:
• When a running back carries the ball 392 times in a season, he’s going to fall apart. Seattle gave 27-year-old Shaun Alexander an eight-year, $62 million deal with $15 million guaranteed after he gained 1,880 yards and scored 27 touchdowns in 2005. He played three more seasons, starting just 20 games, while gaining only 1,636 yards.
• Then there’s Larry Johnson, who received a five-year, $43.2 million deal with $19 million guaranteed, after gaining 1,789 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2006. He played five more seasons, but started just 27 games. He scored eight touchdowns in his last five seasons.
• Left tackle Tyron Smith and right guard Zack Martin were named All-Pro. Center Travis Frederick was second-team All-Pro. Each made the Pro Bowl. It’s fair to ask whether the Cowboys’ dominant offensive line could make a lot of runners look as good as Murray did this season.
• Murray carried the ball a league-leading 392 times in 2014. Give any good runner 392 carries, and he’s going to gain a bunch of yards. Is Murray a real difference-maker?
• Only Detroit, Kansas City and Chicago have a quarterback, running back and receiver with an average salary among the NFL’s top 10. Detroit is the only one of those three teams that made the playoffs. If Murray and Dez Bryant re-sign with the Cowboys, Dallas will probably be the fourth team with all three in the top 10 .
• The Dallas Mavericks were wrong about Steve Nash breaking down, and the Texas Rangers were wrong about Ivan Rodriguez doing the same. Will the Cowboys’ front office survive intact, if they’re wrong about Murray breaking down and he signs elsewhere?
• The Cowboys are all about team-friendly deals these days after being in salary-cap jail for the past few seasons. Smith and Sean Lee signed team-friendly deals, and the Cowboys seem ready to let Murray walk, if he doesn’t sign a team-friendly deal.
• Can they afford to waste another season by Romo, if Murray walks and his replacement is not adequate?
• Murray is a good receiver and a quality blocker, especially on third-down. He plays through injury, when possible, as we saw this season. But how much are his intangibles worth?
• This is a terrific draft for running backs whether we’re talking Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon, Georgia’s Todd Gurley, Miami’s Duke Johnson or Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah. If the Cowboys must replace Murray, this is a good year to do it.
• Talk to the Cowboys’ offensive lineman or Murray, and they all spend quite a bit of time discussing the trust they have in each other. Murray can run patiently because he expects the holes to be there, and the linemen can wait just another tick to set up their block because they know he’ll be patient. How long will it take another runner to find the same rhythm with this line?
