There’s been plenty of Cowboys-related news already this afternoon, as we learned that Dallas management is waiting to hear from free agent receiver Dez Bryant‘s agent, and that fellow free agent Rolando McClain is facing a four-game fine after a third failed drug test. Let’s take a look at some more notes from Big D…
- Bryant has made it clear that he won’t be pleased if the Cowboys use the franchise tag on him, and owner Jerry Jones also indicated that the franchise tag isn’t the optimal outcome. “I can tell you I’m not that excited about the franchise tag with Dez simply because I’d like to have our agreement and our business in place for a long time to come with Dez,” Jones told Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Dallas has until March 2 to use the franchise tag on Bryant, and then would have until July 15 to negotiate a long-term extension.
- Running back DeMarco Murray is also a pending free agent, and the Cowboys have an idea of what they’d be willing to pay the 2014 Offensive Player of the Year. But given how critical Murray was to the offense last season, Jones tells Archer that he will have some “serious flexibility” regarding Murray’s salary range.
- If Murray is re-signed, he’ll probably have a lighter workload in 2015, as Archer writes. Murray led the league with 392 carries last year, and Jones doesn’t believe it’s feasible for Murray’s snap count to be as high in 2015. Backup running back Joseph Randle has already faced legal trouble this offseason, however, while fellow RB Lance Dunbar is a free agent.
- The Cowboys will make decisions on their future with the idea that Tony Romo will be their quarterback for the next five years, Jones tells Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. Romo will turn 35 years old in April, so the five-year window might seem optimistic, but the veteran QB is signed through 2019.