Dallas Cowboys Head Into Philadelphia Eagles Game Without Top Player
By Shawn S. Lealos
The Dallas Cowboys are in first place in the NFC East after beating the New York Giants in their first game. All three of their divisional opponents lost in the first week, but the Philadelphia Eagles hope to change that when they play Dallas this week. However, the Cowboys will come into the game hurting, with starting wide receiver Dez Bryant out of action. The Eagles also have a very different team than they did in 2014, with Sam Bradford as their new quarterback and former Cowboys rushing leader DeMarco Murray as their new starting running back. Here is a look at the news heading into the big divisional game.
Dallas Cowboys Lose Dez Bryant for Two Months
The Dallas Cowboys may have opened the 2015 NFL season with a win, but it came at a hard cost. The Cowboys best player, wide receiver Dez Bryant, suffered through dehydration in the first half and then broke his foot later in the game. As a result, Bryant will miss from four to six weeks after undergoing surgery, and some claim he could miss as much as eight weeks. This is a huge blow to the Cowboys as they head into another divisional game, this time against the Eagles. Without Bryant, the Cowboys will scramble to figure out who will become the focal point of the Cowboys offense.
Dallas Cowboys Trade For Brice Butler
The Cowboys worked out a lot of veteran receivers on Monday, but decided that none of them would help the team. As a result, the Cowboys traded a seventh round draft pick to the Oakland Raiders for Brice Butler. While new players are often exciting to speculate about, Butler will not really play a large role in the Cowboys offense. Terrence Williams will step into Bryant's role as lead receiver, while Cole Beasley, Devin Street and Lucky Whitehead will take the field before Butler gets a chance. He is just insurance at this point, and possibly a special teams contributor.
La'el Collins to Possibly Get First Start at Left Guard
When the Dallas Cowboys signed La'el Collins as an undrafted free agent, it excited Cowboys fans. Collins was considered the second best offensive lineman in the NFL Draft, but the murder of his ex-girlfriend scared teams away from drafting him. When police admitted that Collins was in no way a suspect, Dallas swept in and signed him. Adding another first round talent to three former first round draft picks on the offensive line was exciting indeed. However, Ron Leary played great in preseason and held onto his job. A strained groin will sideline Leary for the next few weeks, so it is time to see if Collins is as great as advertised.
DeMarco Murray "Emotionless" About Upcoming Game
In 2014, DeMarco Murray was the leading rusher in the NFL, the Offensive Player of the Year, and broke the record for most rushing yards in a season by a member of the Dallas Cowboys. Instead of rewarding him for his hard work and great play, Dallas let him leave via free agency. Murray joined his college quarterback Sam Bradford with the Cowboys defensive rival Philadelphia Eagles and became the first NFL rushing leader to ever start for his former team's division rival the next season. While Cowboys fans might want to see who plays better between Murray and the new Cowboys running backs, Murray is just looking at it like another game. Murray said the NFL is a business and he is with the team who wanted him.
Shawn S. Lealos is a freelance writer who graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He writes for a variety of national publications and has over 15 years of sports journalism experience. Follow Shawn on Twitter @sslealos. Examiner.com.