Witten: Murray's Worth Goes Beyond On-Field Production

Free agent-to-be DeMarco Murray led the NFL in rushing in 2014

Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray set a new franchise record in 2014 with 1,845 rushing yards, but his importance goes far beyond his on-field performance, according to veteran tight end Jason Witten.

Echoing what head coach Jason Garrett said shortly after the season came to an end in Green Bay, Witten credits Murray with playing an integral role in establishing the Cowboys’ identity in 2014.

“We’ve got good running backs. Joe Randle took advantage of every opportunity he got. I think [Lance] Dunbar’s got a great future ahead of him,” Witten said, per ESPN Dallas. “Obviously the O-line, but I think it would be silly to not give him the credit for what he did.

“It’s not easy to do that and I think Coach [Jason] Garrett said it a few weeks back that he created a mindset for our team and that’s not easy to do. He deserves a lot of that credit, DeMarco does, and so that’s why you want a guy like that back because he stands for everything you want in your football team.”

In 2014, Murray played 16 games for the first time in his career, as well as two playoff games. He finished with a league-high 392 carries the aforementioned 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns.

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