INDIANAPOLIS – Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said the imminent decisions on the future of wide receiver Dez Bryant and running back DeMarco Murray will be “organizational decisions.” But he wasn’t shy about sharing his ballot.

“These are big organizational decisions that really everybody is involved in. Certainly Dez and DeMarco are cornerstone players for our franchise,” Garrett said Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Both of those guys know very strongly how much we care for them and how much we want them on our football team going forward.

“Each of those guys has a kind of different business opportunity. But, again,

the business of the NFL is real.”

Bryant said Tuesday that he wished the team felt the same way he did about a long-term deal as reports that Stephen Jones said the Cowboys were getting closer to using the $12-plus million franchise tag to retain the All-Pro receiver.

That could tip the scales against Murray, the NFL’s leading rusher in 2014. Murray said during Super Bowl week media appearances that he was offended by the notion the Cowboys could simply “plug in” another back via the draft or free agency.

“I don’t like that expression plug another back in there,” Garrett said with a furled brow. “He led the NFL in rushing by I think 500 yards. He was a big part of it. The value of being able to hand the ball to somebody 20-25 times a game is huge. Both sides are talking and we’re trying to get it done.”

Murray played in every game in 2014 for the first time in his career, including six days after surgery on a broken finger. Garrett downplayed questions about durability and any factor they would play in re-signing the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year.

“The injury history for him is not a huge factor for us. Think about what he did for us this season … 511 touches,” Garrett said. “That’s a lot of football. The value of the guy you can give the football to again, and again, and again.

“DeMarco’s a heck of a football player and he has been since we drafted him a few years back. I think you’ll really find if you look at it, running the football is a vital part of championship teams. … The runner does matter.”

Garrett said any decision to use the franchise tag on Bryant, assuring him a one-year deal worth the average salary of the top-five players at the position, should not be read into as more than a basic business decision. He repeated Jones’ comments Tuesday that it would not prevent the two sides from the ultimate goal of a long-term deal.

In reality, the Cowboys likely don’t have the funds to extend Bryant’s deal until they clean up their salary cap picture. In the past two seasons, the franchise signed two players to $100-plus million contracts — left tackle Tyron Smith and quarterback Tony Romo — and also signed inside linebacker Sean Lee to a $46 million deal with more than $40 million in cap charges remaining.

“The biggest thing that everyone needs to know is how much we appreciate Dez Bryant and the kind of player he is,” Garrett said. “He’s the kind of guy that 60-65 times a game he breaks the huddle and the team is looking for No. 88. … We love Dez Bryant. We want him on our football team.”

Romo has an NFL-high $27.773 million cap figure in 2015 and is a candidate to restructure. Free agency begins March 10, which is the first day other teams can contact Murray. He said last month that he expects to test the open market.

The Cowboys’ initial offer to Murray was reportedly for four years and $16 million.