The Sports Xchange

DeMarco Murray left the Dallas Cowboys, but he didn’t take the league’s top rushing attack with him.

That’s owner Jerry Jones’ take on the matter, at least — all the key ingredients are back for the Cowboys to be as good, or even better, running the ball in 2015.

“We’re better,” Jones said at the Cowboys’ annual golf outing. “Murray certainly is in that thought, but what we’ve got a chance to do with our depth, what we’ve got a chance to do with the talent, the competition that we have, and I’m assuming that we can protect (quarterback Tony) Romo, which standing here last year, the concerns about his surgeries were more so than today. So if Romo can have the kind of year that he had last year, then our running game will benefit from that.”

Murray set a franchise single-season record with 1,845 yards last season. He was the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year and compiled more than 500 total touches, including the playoffs, before signing a $40 million free agent pact with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Cowboys rarely spotted Murray last season, even when he played with a fractured pinkie finger, yet Jones sounds convinced that Lance Dunbar, Ryan Williams, Joseph Randle and free-agent import Darren McFadden can provide more than enough punch to keep defenses honest.

Romo said he believes the competition will produce a top performer.

“I’m sure we’re going to play multiple guys. It’ll be fun to watch these guys get after it and compete,” Romo said. “Someone will win that job and they’ll have a good year.”