DeMarco Murray On Cowboys, Eagles
Before the Eagles traded running back DeMarco Murray to the Titans in March, the ex-Cowboy was “95 percent sure” Philadelphia was going to send him back to Dallas.
“I was very close to going back there,” Murray told Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram. “There were some things that fell through and just didn’t happen.”
While the Cowboys and Eagles did discuss Murray during the offseason, Philly was reluctant to trade with an NFC East rival, a source informed Williams. Nevertheless, the two nearly agreed to a deal, the source added.
Murray “was very involved in the talks,” he revealed to Williams. The 28-year-old also said that his heart wasn’t into continuing his career as an Eagle, though he called executive vice president Howie Roseman and owner Jeffrey Lurie “really good people.”
When Murray signed a five-year, $42MM contract with the Eagles as a free agent in March 2015, he was fresh off a season in which he rushed for an NFL-high 1,845 yards and earned AP Offensive Player of the Year honors. But Murray was nowhere near as productive as part of then-Eagles head coach Chip Kelly‘s offense in 2015. Under Kelly, Murray set a career low in yards per carry (3.6) on 193 attempts – 199 fewer than he racked up during his last year in Dallas.
“Obviously, the scheme just wasn’t a fit for me, and I wasn’t a fit for them,” he said of his time in Philadelphia. “It wasn’t pointing fingers or anything. It just wasn’t a good relationship. Those things happen, and you learn from them. I was fortunate enough to come here and be here and be a Titan now.”
Now that he’s no longer in an Eagles uniform, Murray once again looks like one of the league’s premier backs, having averaged 5.0 yards per rush and totaled three touchdowns on 93 carries. The ex-Oklahoma Sooner has also piled up two more scores as a pass catcher and amassed 24 receptions on 27 targets.
As for the Cowboys, “they’ve got a pretty good young back over there as well,” Murray quipped, referring to rookie Ezekiel Elliott. Just under two months after a reunion with Murray fell through, the Cowboys selected Elliott fourth overall in the draft. The only rusher in the league with more yards than Murray this year is Elliott, who has 546 (and five TDs). Clearly, then, the non-trade has worked out for both Murray and the Cowboys.
Latest On Tony Romo, Dak Prescott
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo continues to progress in his recovery from a broken bone in his back and is aiming for a Week 8 or Week 9 return, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Romo has been aggressive in his workouts lately and is “throwing the ball with zip,” a source told Florio.
Romo’s absence this season hasn’t been the death knell it was last year for the Cowboys, who went 1-11 without the four-time Pro Bowler as he dealt with collarbone issues. At 4-1, the Cowboys have already matched their 2015 win total and currently sit atop the NFC East.
Romo’s backup, fourth-round rookie Dak Prescott, has been a revelation in his first NFL action. Prescott has combined for seven touchdowns (four passing, three rushing) and begun his career with a record 155 straight interception-less attempts. Moreover, the 6-foot-2, 226-pounder is third in the league in completion percentage (69.0), sixth in yards per attempt (7.99) and eighth in rating (101.5).
Despite Prescott’s success, he regards the Cowboys as “Tony’s team” and is prepared to step aside in favor of the veteran. The Cowboys, meanwhile, have insisted that Romo will regain the No. 1 job when he’s ready to return. That remains the plan, per Florio. However, owner Jerry Jones was less definitive on the subject Friday, telling 105.3 The Fan that there won’t be anything “simple” about choosing between Romo and Prescott if Dallas upends Green Bay on Sunday (Twitter link via Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram).
The Cowboys have a bye in Week 7, and depending on Romo’s health, team brass could have an intriguing decision on its hands as it prepares for the season’s second half.
Dak Prescott: Cowboys Are "Tony's Team"
Cowboys rookie Dak Prescott has been among the NFL’s most effective quarterbacks through five weeks, but he’s prepared to surrender the starting role when Tony Romo is ready to return from injury in the coming weeks. The Cowboys are “Tony’s team,” according to Prescott, who took over as Dallas’ starter when Romo suffered a broken bone in his back in late August. A fourth-round pick from Mississippi State, Prescott has helped the Cowboys to a 4-1 record while completing 69 percent of his passes and combining for seven touchdowns (four passing, three rushing) Prescott has also amassed 155 attempts without an interception, which is the most ever for a player starting his career. He’ll try to keep that streak alive until at least Week 8, when Romo could come off the shelf. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones insisted last Sunday that the No. 1 job belongs to Romo.
Dez Bryant’s Status Uncertain For Sunday
The Cowboys might not have Dez Bryant on the field until October 30th. The wide receiver’s status is uncertain for Sunday’s game against the Packers and owner Jerry Jones tells 105.3 The Fan (Twitter link) that the team won’t take any chances with him. The Cowboys have a Week 7 bye, so that means that Bryant wouldn’t take the field until the Week 8 game against the rival Eagles. 
In three games this year, Bryant has tallied 11 receptions for 150 yards and one touchdown. Unfortunately, he has been sidelined since Sept. 25th and it’s not immediately clear when the Cowboys will get him back. Hopefully, the wide receiver can recover from the hairline fracture and bone bruise in his knee after a couple more weeks of rest. Reportedly, Bryant hasn’t always done a great job of taking care of himself and his sleep habits have been particularly poor.
Bryant has suited up for just 12 of the Cowboys’ past 20 games.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Greg Hardy Transitioning To MMA
Could Greg Hardy go from the gridiron to the octagon? The controversial defensive end says that he’s changing sports and shifting his focus to mixed martial arts. 
[RELATED: Greg Hardy Arrested On Drug Charge]
“I’m very focused and excited to start my MMA career,” Hardy said in a statement provided to Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com. “I’m going to do this the right way, I can assure you of that.”
Hardy, once a top defensive player in the NFL, was suspended for the bulk of the 2014 season and part of the 2015 season for a domestic violence incident. The Cowboys gave Hardy a second chance, but he was reportedly a thorn in the side of coaches. This offseason, teams were unwilling to take on all of the headaches that would come with signing Hardy and it now sounds like he is moving on from football altogether.
Hardy does not have a real MMA background to speak of, but his reps claim that several promotions have already expressed interest in signing him. Hardy’s team says that he currently weighs around 285 pounds and plans to fight as a heavyweight when he debuts, most likely in 2017. Under the unified rules of MMA, heavyweights weigh-in between 206 and 265 pounds.
It’s not immediately clear whether the UFC would consider signing Hardy, but the company has shown a willingness to sign non-traditional celebrity fighters in the past. In 2010, the UFC signed boxer James Toney for a one-off fight against ex-champ Randy Couture. Last month, former WWE superstar C.M. Punk made his octagon debut when he fought Mickey Gall in a welterweight bout. The UFC may not want to put on another “freak show” fight so close to Punk’s unsuccessful debut, but another major promotion such as Bellator would likely have serious interest in the former defensive end.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cowboys Audition Three DBs
- Although the Cowboys tried out defensive backs Rashaad Reynolds, Leon McFadden, and Richard Crawford today, the club won’t be signing any of them, tweets Todd Archer of ESPN.com.
Jones: Romo Remains Cowboys' Top QB
- Cowboys owners Jerry Jones said quarterback Tony Romo will get an MRI on Monday to check on the status of his back injury, according to David Helman of DallasCowboys.com (via Twitter). Jones was also emphatic that Romo remains the team’s top quarterback, even after rookie Dak Prescott‘s hot start.
[SOURCE LINK]
Tony Romo Will Start When Healthy
- Despite a great deal of discussion to the contrary, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that there is “zero chance” the Cowboys will start Dak Prescott over a healthy Tony Romo. Romo remains on track to return for the team’s Week 8 matchup against Philadelphia, and the Cowboys believe a healthy Romo will help open up the offense. Although Prescott has played well and is viewed as the quarterback of the future, the Cowboys are running a constricted version of the offense for him, allowing him to be something of a game manager (he has attempted just seven passes that have traveled 20 yards or more in the air). So far all the talk that Romo would become Dallas’ answer to Wally Pipp, that does not appear to be the case.
Cowboys Activate Demarcus Lawrence
The Cowboys’ pass rush will receive a boost on Sunday after the team officially activated Demarcus Lawrence, placing him back on its 53-man roster, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Lawrence missed four games because of a substance-abuse suspension, depriving the Cowboys of their top pass-rusher. The third-year player led Dallas with eight sacks last season, doing so after registering none as a rookie in seven games in 2014.
Dallas ranks in a tie for 24th in the league with just six sacks this season, besting only five teams’ totals. It’s been without Lawrence, Randy Gregory and elected to move on from Greg Hardy. Defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford is the only Cowboy with more than one sack, posting two through four games.
A former second-round pick, Lawrence saw his appeal denied, forcing him to miss four games. He missed nine in 2014 after suffering a broken foot before playing in all 16 last year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cowboys Won’t Sign Kicker This Week
The Cowboys worked out Kai Forbath, Robbie Gould and Aldrick Rosas on Friday in case Dan Bailey could not prove able in time for Sunday’s Week 5 tilt. But the team will pass on signing one of them after Bailey practiced Friday, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.
Bailey made it through practice on Friday without issues after missing Wednesday and Thursday’s sessions with a back injury, one that he complained about during pregame last week.
So, Dallas evidently feels comfortable enough this injury won’t hinder Bailey’s chances of making it through the game against the Bengals without issue and will avoid cutting a fringe backup to sign a free agent emergency kicker.
Instead, the Cowboys’ emergency option could be safety Jeff Heath, whom the team used as a kicker in practice this week. The backup safety was a high school kicker who received soccer scholarship offers before attending Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) to play football.
Bailey’s kicked for the Cowboys since 2011. The 28-year-old is 8-for-10 on field goals this season and hasn’t missed an extra point. Bailey connected on a career-best 93.8 percent of his field goals in 2015. He’s made at least 93 percent in three of his five seasons. After complaining of the back issue, however, Bailey did miss a 47-yarder against the 49ers but made a 22-yard try in the fourth quarter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.