Ranking the top 10 Dallas Cowboys running backs of all time
• Tony Dorsett remains a stud
• Emmitt Smith set an impossible record
By Randy Gurzi
6. DeMarco Murray, 2011-2014
5,726 yards from scrimmage, 29 total offensive touchdowns
No. 7 All-Time Cowboys Rushing Yardage: 4,526
A third-round pick out of Oklahoma in 2011, DeMarco Murray could have easily cracked the top five in Dallas history if two things happened. One would have been if he could have stayed healthy early in his career. Two would be if he would have taken the contract the Cowboys offered rather than chasing the money — and landing himself in an offense that didn't fit his style of play.
Murray missed time in each of his first three seasons but still showed off his talent when he went for 1,121 yards and nine touchdowns in 2013. He followed that up by leading the NFL with 1,845 yards in 2014 and helping Dallas make it to the playoffs.
But then in the offseason, he signed a five-year deal worth $42 million with the Philadelphia Eagles. Typically, it's always understandable for a player to chase the money since their careers are short but Chip Kelly was running the Eagles at the time and ran a system where a bulldozing back such as Murray would never have fit in. We saw as much as he had 702 yards and six touchdowns while averaging a career-worst 3.6 yards per attempt.
He did rebound after that when the Eagles traded him to the Tennessee Titans. He played two seasons there, putting up 1,946 yards and 15 touchdowns before retiring after the 2017 campaign.