It's hard to make a case that the Dallas Cowboys got better this offseason.
Jason Hatcher, the team's 2013 sack leader, departed for the Washington Redskins in free agency. Longtime star DeMarcus Ware was a victim of the team's salary cap woes and ended up with the Denver Broncos. Things got worse at OTAs, when Sean Lee went down with a season-ending knee injury.
Those are some huge losses for a team that wasn't particularly good in the first place. Despite this, running back DeMarco Murray feels bullish about the Cowboys' chances. In fact, Murray believes this is the best Cowboys team he's been on in his four years in Big D.
"I think you can say that, yeah," Murray said Wednesday, according to The Dallas Morning News. "From the leadership we have and the young guys, I think you can say that.
"I think we're looking good," he added. "I think we had a strong offseason workout with (strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik) and it carried on through OTAs and minicamp. I thought we looked good, but there's definitely still a lot of work to do and that's what training camp is for."
The Cowboys are coming off their third straight 8-8 season. If there's one thing working in their favor, it's the absence of expectations. Perhaps Murray should express his surprising optimism in a more private setting.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" invites Bucky Brooks in-studio for a team-by-team AFC training camp preview.
