The loss of/jettisoning of/mutual separation between the Dallas Cowboys and running back DeMarco Murray has been met with just about every reaction imaginable.
Their decision to let him walk shows a fresh perspective for the Cowboys organization and the kind of restraint employed by the truly elite teams to keep themselves perennial contenders.
Perhaps, as with most things in life, the reality of the situation is somewhere in the middle.
"Damned if you do, damned if you don't," writes Peter King of Sports Illustrated. "This is exactly what happened in Dallas with DeMarco Murray: The Cowboys, pre-free-agency, set a soft limit on what they would offer Murray-$5 million per year on a four-year deal. When the money started getting out of sight from Oakland and later from Philadelphia, the Cowboys stretched to $6 million, on average (four years, $24 million). When the Eagles got to an $8.5-million average, with $21 million guaranteed, the Cowboys never thought about matching."
It seems failed contracts for the likes of Marion Barber, Demarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer finally convinced the Jones' that spending isn't, in fact, the shortest path to a Super Bowl victory.
Now, with Murray joining the rival Eagles on a hefty new free agent deal and the Cowboys choosing to sign former Arkansas Razorback - Jerry Jones' alma mater - and Oakland Raider, Darren McFadden, as his replacement, next season's backfield in Dallas will look markedly different.
Only the team may not yet be finished tinkering with the running back position and McFadden may not be destined for a starring role in the Cowboys backfield.
McFadden got just $200,000 in guaranteed money from the Cowboys, meaning Dallas is in no way guaranteeing him a roster spot come September let alone a starting gig - King refers to him as a "backfield place-holder."
A place-holder for whom though?
King, as plugged into the wide world of NFL's GMs and head coaches as any member of the media, believes that former Georgia running back Todd Gurley is an "ideal fit" for the Cowboys late in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Of course, with the Cowboys picking at 27th overall, it will take Gurley falling pretty far for them to be in position to nab him, barring some sort of trade up (of course, the widespread thinking had been that the "devaluation" of the running back position league wide meant that another draft could pass without a first-round running back, but the big deals handed to Murray, C.J. Spiller and Mark Ingram on the open market have put that notion to bed for the most part).
There's also the fact that Gurley, despite his ACL injury and NCAA suspension, is an electric back seemingly built to be the focal point of an offense much like the Cowboys.
He's played in less than 40 percent of the Bulldogs snaps the last three years, per NFL.com, so he's got plenty of tread left on his tires and is accustomed to operating as part of a back-by-committee approach.
Even sharing the load Gurley managed nearly 1,000-yards rushing or more each season and continually averaged over 6.0 yards per-carry. He finished the 2013 season with 37 receptions for 441 yards as well.
If his medicals check out, Gurley really could be the perfect fit, in terms of both playing style and from a value perspective in the draft, as a ready Murray replacement in Dallas.
