One of the biggest storylines that emerged out of the NFL's free agency period this year was that last year's leading rusher, DeMarco Murray, left the Dallas Cowboys and joined the division rival Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas would not match Philly's contract offer, and it will be interesting to see how things play out on the field this fall.
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According to the Dallas Morning News, the Eagles insist that they did not sign Murray in an attmept to weaken Dallas. "We never look at it that way,'' Philadelphia coach Chip Kelly said. "We're just trying to acquire players. We don't say let's take this player over that player because it's going to make that team weaker. I know Dallas is going to be a tough opponent when we play them this year.''
For their part, Dallas never appeared to seriously pursue Murray. It seemed that the team expected him to get an offer far beyond what they were willing to pay him, and they were fine with letting him walk. The team also appears to have several options to replace him.
The team signed Darren McFadden to a low-risk deal that could pay off big time if the back can stay healthy. They also have Lance Dunbar and Joseph Randle already on the roster, both of whom the team has spoken highly of in the past.
Jerry Jones has discussed the possibility of trading for Adrian Peterson, although that appears less likely than it once did. And finally, the team has a late first-round pick that they could choose to use on Melvin Gordon or Todd Gurley if no players are available that fill more pressing needs for the Cowboys.
The team could even elect to take a back later in the draft, as players like Gio Bernard, Jeremy Hill, Carlos Hyde, and C.J. Anderson have all looked dynamic during their rookie seasons after being selected in the middle rounds of the draft in recent years.
So it looks to be a good thing that the Eagles did not sign Murray with the intent of weakening Dallas because it is not all that clear that the Cowboys even are any weaker. Murray has struggled with injury concerns in the past, and Dallas still boasts arguably the league's best offensive line, which should provide a bump in production to any back that runs behind it.
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