Football Outsiders: Bold moves for NFC East teams

[xwalker]

Always follow the money. They should have Dez in hand with a verbal commitment to X dollars. Knowing this you allow Ro, Murray, Free, Parnell et al shop their wares. Some if not all will allow us to negotiate afterwards. Then you know what you can spend. They should have a good idea even if only a reasonably thought out range of money necessary.

For me Dez is a must. Murray is a want. One of Free or Parnell is a want is not a must. One of those will likely walk and likely Parnell. My guess is Murray will be priced out of our market. Durant will sign. My guess is Ro will get more money here. I have little idea about Carr. I suspect Mo is on the roster since he's not a FA.

They'll restructure to get what they think is a competitive team.

Romo's health is the #1 priority for this team, IMO. I think keeping Parnell or Free is a must.

 

[xwalker]

If Dez would get done before March 2nd, Dallas could use the Transition tag on Murray. That would limit the risk on Murray to a one year commitment, all be it an expensive year.

The transition tag just gives the Cowboys the right to match any offers. Murray would probably give them that option anyway. I think he would prefer to be here is the money was the same.

 

[WillieBeamen]

After going back and forth on this, I think we need to keep Murray. I do not want to go back to the days when Romo had to chuck the ball 35-40 times a game. We were a bad call and 1 stop away from playing for the NFC title against a team we dominated earlier in the season. Get this D to average thru free agency and the draft, and we will compete again imo.

 

[jobberone]

Romo's health is the #1 priority for this team, IMO. I think keeping Parnell or Free is a must.

I agree. They really need to keep one. My guess is it will be Free but either one or both may leave.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

Dallas Cowboys: Let DeMarco Murray leave in free agency

Murray was the offensive player of the year in 2014, with a league-high and franchise-record 1,845 yards on the ground. He is about to become a free agent, though, and if the Cowboys are smart, they won't make a big effort to re-sign him.

Murray is one of seven Dallas starters on the cusp of free agency, including Dez Bryant, and the team only has about $7 million in projected cap space. The Cowboys can't keep everyone, and there's reason to think that they could run the ball well even without Murray, thanks to the league's best offensive line.

Murray was fifth in the NFL among running backs this season in DVOA (which measures a runner's production and efficiency on a per-carry basis), but Dallas led the league in Adjusted Line Yards (which attempts to measure a team's run blocking). At least four starters on that line will return in 2015, and none of those four will be older than 26. Murray might also be damaged goods. He racked up 392 carries in 2014, and runners who carry the ball that often havefrequently struggled with injuries in subsequent seasons.

There are no obvious replacements for Murray on the Dallas roster, especially after Joseph Randle's recent legal woes. The upcoming draft, though, is deep at the running back position. Melvin Gordon, Tevin Coleman, Buck Allen, Ameer Abdullah or T.J. Yeldon might be able to fill Murray's shoes, for pennies on the dollar.

I'd let Murray walk if it was guaranteed that Peterson would be available or Melvin Gordon would be there at 27 or Todd Gurley is there with the reasonable expectation that he will be cleared for training camp. But, it's unlikely we'll know about the first one and impossible to know the last two.

 

[Nightman]

There is much more to the story than that. Paying the salary he will likely want lessens the pretty bold part. Especially when he plays RB.

I don't think the League's leading rusher has ever left in Free Agency. I thought that I read that somewhere, but I could be wrong.