Dallas Cowboys: Don’t Expect A First-Round Running Back
By Renny Mason
We have heard it a thousand times over the last few seasons…”It’s a passing league.” The league. The rules. The players. The marketing and advertising. You name it; they’re all geared for the passing game.
The Emmitt Smith’s of the football world have largely fallen to the wayside. And while another Dallas Cowboys running back is slowly eating away at many of Smith’s franchise records, even he, DeMarco Murray, can’t seem to catch a break.
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Murray wants to stay in Dallas. The coaches and front office want Murray back in Dallas. Yet the dollars and cap maneuverability have to make sense for both sides. The looming decision on that Dez Bryant guy might make things a bit more complicated as well.
We will have to wait a few more weeks to see exactly how the DeMarco Murray saga plays out, but there are plenty of signs pointing to his eventual exit in Dallas.
Two-time Pro Bowler. All-Pro selection. AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year. Single-season rusher leading in Dallas Cowboys history. Murray’s list of accolades is long enough to garner a hefty contract extension. But it’s the position he plays that might be holding him back.
Running back is a position that has lost most of its cache and prestige in today’s NFL. Teams now days largely prefer the platoon system, or the often referred committee approach. The position has been devalued to the level we are no longer seeing the frenzy of first-round running backs anymore.
This year’s crop of college running backs delivers two consensus first-round talents in Georgia’s Todd Gurley, and Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon III. Both are talented enough to be disappointed to have their names called way back at the end of the first round; Dallas holding the No. 27 overall pick.
This got me thinking though. If Dallas were willing to let Murray get away in free agency, would it make sense to spend your most valuable draft pick on a running back? The key word there being valuable, when the running back spot has been devalued for the last several years.
Think about what might be hurting Murray’s chances of a big pay day. The salary cap space? Make no mistake; Dallas will have enough maneuverability to lock Murray up if they truly wanted to. The return of the supporting cast? Something to seriously think about when you have key guys like offensive tackle Doug Free, linebacker Rolando McClain, and wide receivers Dwayne Harris and Cole Beasley all set to become free agents come March 10.
What about his age? Nope, only 27 and still very much in his prime. His fumbles? Could be an issue, but those are mostly technique related and can be fixed.
This leads us back to his position. A position that has not seen a first-round running back since 2012. And those 2012 first-round running backs, Trent Richardson (3rd overall), Doug Martin (31st overall) and David Wilson (32nd overall), have not exactly lived up to their first-round status.
Will Todd Gurley or Melvin Gordon even be around when Dallas goes on the clock with the No. 27 overall pick come April 30? My guess is probably not. But if they are, I don’t believe Dallas should or will make that move.
By the way, the two big knocks on Murray are his health and his fumble issues. The knock on Gurley? His health (suffered a severe knee injury last November). The knock on Gordon? His fumble issues (seven fumbles alone in 2014 season). Just saying.
For the record, the last Dallas Cowboys first-round running back was Felix Jones (2008). Before him? You guessed it, Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith (1990).
Bottom line is this; if Murray does stay in Dallas, there will be no need for a first-round tailback. If Murray leaves Dallas, why would they spend that valuable of a pick on a running back when they just let the NFL’s leading rusher (by nearly 500 yards) walk out the door? Makes zero sense to me. Feel free to agree or disagree.
So if you had your hopes up of Dallas drafting Todd Gurley or Melvin Gordon at the tail end of the first round (assuming that make it that far), I would advise you not to hold your breath.
Besides, after all, it’s a passing league.