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Jason Garrett: Cowboys considered bringing back DeMarco Murray

The Dallas Cowboys considered re-acquiring running back DeMarco Murray before the Eagles traded him to the Tennessee Titans.
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The Dallas Cowboys considered re-acquiring running back DeMarco Murray before the Eagles traded him to the Tennessee Titans earlier this month, coach Jason Garrett told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

“You are always looking at opportunities,” Garrett said. “We have a lot of discussions about a lot of players on teams throughout the league. You are always looking to try to bring guys in who can help your football team. In some cases you are more familiar with guys than others because they have been with you. So you look at those opportunities and see if they are realistic. We do that with a lot of different guys.”

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Murray had spent the first four seasons of his NFL career in Dallas after the Cowboys drafted him in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft. He walked away when he became a free agent in 2015 and signed a five-year, $40 million contract with the Eagles.

The former NFL Offensive Player of the Year saw a decline in his performance in Philadelphia. He started only eight of 15 games and rushed for 702 yards with six touchdowns. In his final year with Dallas he led the league with 1,845 rushing yards (a Cowboys record) and 13 touchdowns yards in 16 starts.

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“He was a really good player for us during his four years with the Cowboys,” Garrett said. “Great respect for him as a player, great respect for him as a man.

“He is going to do a great job in Tennessee. He is going to fit in that system really well. Mike Mularkey is a great coach. It’s a good fit for both the player and the team. We were around him for four years. He was a helluva player and helluva person. He always went about it the right way. I think Tennessee is fortunate to have him.”

- Erin Flynn