The Dallas Cowboys had a terrific season in 2014, and are hoping to follow it with a strong offseason.
The Cowboys know re-signing DeMarco Murray, Dez Bryant will take some work
Dallas has tough decisions to make this offseason regarding two of its biggest stars.
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Dallas has two of the most high-profile players scheduled to hit free agency on March 10, with running back DeMarco Murray and wide receiver Dez Bryant both coming off their rookie deals. Murray enjoyed a tremendous campaign in which he led the league in rushing, amassing 1,845 yards while running for 13 touchdowns. However, Murray also led the league in touches. The last two times a running back did that and then signed a new contract the following year (Shaun Alexander, 2005 and Larry Johnson, 2006), they never hit 1,000 yards again.
Speaking at the NFL Scouting Combine, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett called both Bryant and Murray “cornerstone players.” According to Garrett, everyone in the organization will be involved with the decisions, but the “business of the NFL” could prevent the team from returning both.
“The business of the NFL is real, though, and we have to work through some of that,” Garrett explained. “But both those guys know very strongly how much we care for them, how much we appreciate what they’ve done for us, and how much we want them on our football team going forward.”
Bryant is an explosive talent and Tony Romo’s go-to target. Bryant caught 88 passes for 1,320 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2014, giving him a third consecutive year of double-digit scores. Owner/general manager Jerry Jones has stated Bryant will not leave Dallas, saying that the franchise tag is definitely in play for the superstar, via Cherean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Should Dallas use the tag on Bryant, that will eat up an estimated $13 million in 2015. The Cowboys are projected to have $13.89 million of cap space heading into the offseason, according to Over The Cap. Teams must be at or under the salary cap when the new league year starts on March 10, so if Jones plans on tagging Bryant and signing Murray, he will have ample work to do over the next few weeks.
Murray is expected to ask for a premium deal based off 2014, and that his shelf life at running back means this could be his big chance at a payday. The largest amount of guaranteed money for a back is $36 million, given to Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings. Peterson also accounts for the highest annual salary of $14.38 million. Behind him, LeSean McCoy and Arian Foster are each getting $20.7 million guaranteed with McCoy earning $9 million and Foster $8.7 million on average.
If Murray signs in the McCoy/Foster range, his first-year cap number could be reasonable. McCoy's was $4.95 million, with the Eagles backloading the deal.
To create that cap space, look for the Cowboys to unload some unneeded players. Corner Brandon Carr could be a significant savings in 2015 if Dallas designates him a post-June 1 cut, getting $8 million back. However, he will represent over $7 million in dead money in 2016, per Todd Archer of ESPN.
The Cowboys are certainly in a tough spot, and only have a few weeks to figure it out before Murray hits the open market.
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