Dallas reacts to Murray's signing with Philadelphia
Here is some of the reaction from Dallas of DeMarco Murray's signing with Philadelphia.
As to be expected when the NFL's leading rusher leaves a playoff team an in-division rival, there was much uproar about DeMarco Murray's signing with the Philadelphia Eagles. The City of Brotherly Love sent in their praises for Chip Kelly and the Eagles organization, while Cowboys fans, wherever they reside, were understandably upset.
Trying to make sense of this signing on both ends is a complex process. The Dallas Morning News tried to give the world some insight on what was going on in the minds of the Cowboys', especially owner Jerry Jones.
In a released statement, published in the Dallas Morning News, Jones said, "We have great appreciation for his skills, and if there was no salary cap in place, DeMarco would be a Cowboy. This came down to an allocation of dollars within the management of the salary cap."
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo also weighed in on losing his running back, who led the NFL in yards and carries last season.
"It just happened, so you have to process everything," Romo said to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. "All the way up until today, I was still thinking we'd be able to keep DeMarco. Obviously, it's not an ideal situation. I'm losing a close friend, too, so that hurts. We have to trust in the process and the people making the decisions. We have salary cap implications and a bunch of other things that we have to decide. That plays a role. The Eagles obviously thought as highly of him as we did."
The question now for the Cowboys is who will be running the ball behind Romo and the rest of the offense? Adrian Peterson, who is a Texas native, has been thrown into the mix as Murray's replacement. Brendon George of the Dallas Morning News says not so fast.
"But Peterson is still under contract with the Vikings," George wrote for the Dallas Morning News. "Even if he were to get out of his current contract, he won't come to the Cowboys for a bargain, the source said.
"So don't expect Peterson to give the Cowboys a home-state discount, paving the way for one former Oklahoma running back to replace the other."
The Cowboys have a tall task ahead of them replacing such a stout offensive weapon. Jones and the rest of his staff have important decisions to make in the coming weeks and months.