When things were not going well between DeMarco Murray and the Philadelphia Eagles, there were rumors that the former was going to be traded back to the Dallas Cowboys. Apparently, there may have been some truth to that. Murray revealed that he was almost certain that the trade was going to happen , as reported by Fox Sports .
DeMarco Murray never really wanted to leave the Dallas Cowboys. He was able to run for more yards in a season than the legendary Emmitt Smith ever did because he was running behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. It was a great situation for Murray.
As most people know, the NFL is a business. Teams have to do what they feel is the best thing for them. The Dallas Cowboys wanted to keep DeMarco Murray, but team owner Jerry Jones felt that it would be best to move in another direction.
The Eagles nearly traded DeMarco Murray back to the Cowboys. https://t.co/zLESmgJ2Bq pic.twitter.com/ve8CIKy1mH
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 15, 2016
Jerry Jones decided to spend the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft on Ezekiel Elliott. The former Ohio State Buckeye is a much cheaper option than DeMarco Murray. Based on what we have seen thus far, Elliott has proven to be quite a smart choice, as he leads the league in rushing right now.
DeMarco Murray decided to take a very generous contract offer from Chip Kelly and the Philaelphia Eagles, even though he did not seem like the best fit for the team. Both Murray and the Eagles realized early on that it was a bad marriage.
For public relations reasons, the Philadelphia Eagles denied that they were actively seeking to move DeMarco Murray. However, there were plenty of speculations that they were shopping the former Oklahoma Sooners star to NFL teams that needed an upgrade at the running back position. Murray was waiting for a new home.
Instead of returning to the Dallas Cowboys, DeMarco Murray ended up with an unexpected NFL team. The Philadelphia Eagles traded Murray to the Tennessee Titans , as reported by ESPN . The Titans wanted to provide franchise quarterback Marcus Mariota with a strong running game so that he would not have to do it all by himself.
Among those in the NFL, the belief is that one of the biggest reasons why the Philadelphia Eagles chose to send DeMarco Murray to the Tennessee Titans instead of the Dallas Cowboys was because they wanted to send the running back outside of their own division.
To show just how serious they were committed to building a strong running game, the Tennessee Titans decided to spend a second round draft pick on Derrick Henry. The former Alabama Crimson Tide star was expected to team with DeMarco Murray to provide a bruising backfield combination.
It is interesting to wonder what the Dallas Cowboys would look like today if they had brought DeMarco Murray back into the mix. Management more than likely would not have spent the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft on Ezekiel Elliott, who might not be a star on a team with less of an offensive line.
There might also have been a chance that the Dallas Cowboys do not end up with Dak Prescott, their franchise quarterback of the future. With a running back already in place, that fourth overall selection might have been used on a quarterback. That would have changed the dynamics of the Cowboys because Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott appear to be their future.
Not that it really matters now, but DeMarco Murray basically confirmed a rumor that was heavily speculated upon. The Dallas Cowboys have moved on and found something potentially much better than a reunion with Murray.
[Featured Image by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images]