The Dallas Cowboys will have one of the best offenses in the NFL this season.
Wait, what?
Yes, ESPN Cowboys reporter Todd Archer believes that Dallas' offense will be near the head of the pack in 2015, despite losing the NFL's leading rusher DeMarco Murray to free agency this offseason. Archer explained his reasoning in response to a question from his weekly mailbag.
@toddarcher do you expect our offense to be one of the best in the league this year again, even after the loss of Demarco? #cowboysmail
— Adrian Allen (@adrianallen92) July 16, 2015
"Quite simply, yes," Archer answered. "I was a firm believer the Cowboys needed to keep DeMarco Murray. I would've done more to sign him but I wouldn't have gone as high as the Philadelphia Eagles did. Murray changed the identity of the offense. But just because he's gone I don't think the Cowboys' identity changes in 2015. They will run the ball. It will just be with a committee of guys, led by Joseph Randle, rather than one guy. So, the Cowboys will still run it quite well and the passing game is obviously top-notch with Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley. The Cowboys will put up points and yards."
Dallas ranked fifth in points per game (29.2) and seventh in yards (383.6) in 2014. Most importantly, the team led the league in time of possession (32:51). Will they still be able to do that without Murray?
Playing behind arguably the league's best offensive line, Romo set career highs in completion percentage (69.9) and touchdown passes (34), so Cowboys fans shouldn't be worried there. He'll be able to pick up some of the playmaking slack. The real concerns lie in the backfield. Archer seems confident that Randle will be able to handle lead duties, but the 23-year-old rusher has just 105 career carries. That's not exactly a proven track record of success.
Once the season starts, we'll soon find out if Jerry Jones and company were right to play hardball with Murray in free agency.
