NFL rushing champion DeMarco Murray left a gargantuan hole in the Dallas offense when he defected to the East.
It will be a challenge for head coach Jason Garrett, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and running back coach Gary Brown to replace what Murray gave this offense on the ground.
So three coaches have been tasked to replace one player on offense. But Cowboys special-teams coach Rich Bisaccia faces a more complex challenge. One coach has been tasked to replace four players on special teams.
And those four players all departed Dallas with one signature on a free-agency contract.
When the New York Giants gave Dwayne Harris a five-year, $17.5 million contract with $7.1 million of it guaranteed, it raised eyebrows around the NFL. How can anyone give that much money to a wide receiver who has caught only 33 passes in his four NFL seasons?
Simple - the Giants stole one of the NFL’s best special-teams players away from the Cowboys.
If you honestly believe special teams constitute a third of the game, this was a titanic hit to the Cowboys. Not of the magnitude of Murray’s departure to Philadelphia - but not far behind.
In luring Harris out of Dallas, the Giants signed the best kick returner, the best punt returner, the best kickoff coverage ace and the best gunner on the punt team away from the Cowboys.
In 2013, the Cowboys finished fourth in the NFL in special teams. The Giants ranked 28. The Cowboys ranked fourth in kickoff returns, the Giants 27. The Cowboys ranked fifth in punt returns, the Giants 26. The Cowboys ranked seventh in kickoff coverage, the Giants ninth. The Cowboys ranked 18 in punt coverage, the Giants 30.
In 2014, the Cowboys finished 13 in special teams, the Giants 25. The Cowboys ranked 13 in kickoff returns, the Giants 18. The Cowboys ranked 13th in punt returns, the Giants 18. The Cowboys ranked sixth in kickoff coverage, the Giants second. The Cowboys ranked 20 in punt coverage, the Giants 27.
The Giants clearly needed to improve on the kicking downs - and they plan to do that at the expense of their division rival. Harris was a key figure on all four of those special-teams units.
Harris led the Cowboys in special-teams tackles in 2014 with 18 and finished second in 2013 with 13. He also finished second in the NFL in punt returns in 2012 with a 16.1 average and second in the NFL in kickoff returns in 2013 with a 30.6 average.
Harris quietly developed into one of the most explosive weapons on the team as well. But he did it in the shadows of Murray, Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and even Terrance Williams. The Cowboys may not have appreciated his contributions. The Giants did.
In his four seasons, Harris gave the Cowboys 29 plays of at least 30 yards or more. He is one of only three players in NFL history with both a kickoff and punt return of 85-plus yards in one game. He returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown against Washington in a 2013 game and ran a kickoff back 90 yards that same day.
Harris had a 78-yard punt return for a score in 2012 against Philadelphia, a 56-yard kickoff return against Detroit in 2013 and a 56-yard pass reception against San Francisco in 2014. He also caught a seven-yard game-winning TD pass against Minnesota with 35 seconds left in a 2013 game.
Harris caught that 56-yard pass against the 49ers in the season opener. It was the longest play of the game for the Cowboys. Romo didn’t throw Harris another pass in the next three games.
Only Dez Bryant caught longer passes for the Cowboys last season - four TD receptions in the 60-yard range. But the Cowboys threw Bryant 188 passes on the season, giving him ample opportunity to make plays. Romo only threw 11 passes at Harris and he caught seven of them.
Harris wasn’t going to be a factor on offense for the Cowboys going forward. Not with Bryant, Witten, Williams, Cole Beasley with his newly-minted contract and the second-round potential of Gavin Escobar ahead of him in the minds of the Garrett-Linehan think tank.
The Giants have told Harris he will get the chance to contribute on offense. And he definitely will contribute on special teams.
The loss of Murray to the Eagles hurt the Cowboys. So did the loss of Harris to the Giants. More than you’d think.
Difference-maker
With Dwayne Harris on the roster, the Cowboys consistently ranked higher than the NFC East-rival New York Giants on special teams the last two seasons. The Giants hope to reverse that trend with their free-agent signing of Harris. Here are the numbers:
2013
Cowboys
Giants
Overall
4th
28th
Kickoff returns
4th
27th
Punt returns
5th
26th
Kickoff coverage
7th
9th
Punt coverage
18th
30th
2014
Cowboys
Giants
Overall
13th
25th
Kickoff returns
13th
18th
Punt returns
13th
18th
Kickoff coverage
6th
2nd
Punt coverage
20th
27th
It will be a challenge for head coach Jason Garrett, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and running back coach Gary Brown to replace what Murray gave this offense on the ground.
So three coaches have been tasked to replace one player on offense. But Cowboys special-teams coach Rich Bisaccia faces a more complex challenge. One coach has been tasked to replace four players on special teams.
And those four players all departed Dallas with one signature on a free-agency contract.
When the New York Giants gave Dwayne Harris a five-year, $17.5 million contract with $7.1 million of it guaranteed, it raised eyebrows around the NFL. How can anyone give that much money to a wide receiver who has caught only 33 passes in his four NFL seasons?
Simple - the Giants stole one of the NFL’s best special-teams players away from the Cowboys.
If you honestly believe special teams constitute a third of the game, this was a titanic hit to the Cowboys. Not of the magnitude of Murray’s departure to Philadelphia - but not far behind.
In luring Harris out of Dallas, the Giants signed the best kick returner, the best punt returner, the best kickoff coverage ace and the best gunner on the punt team away from the Cowboys.
In 2013, the Cowboys finished fourth in the NFL in special teams. The Giants ranked 28. The Cowboys ranked fourth in kickoff returns, the Giants 27. The Cowboys ranked fifth in punt returns, the Giants 26. The Cowboys ranked seventh in kickoff coverage, the Giants ninth. The Cowboys ranked 18 in punt coverage, the Giants 30.
In 2014, the Cowboys finished 13 in special teams, the Giants 25. The Cowboys ranked 13 in kickoff returns, the Giants 18. The Cowboys ranked 13th in punt returns, the Giants 18. The Cowboys ranked sixth in kickoff coverage, the Giants second. The Cowboys ranked 20 in punt coverage, the Giants 27.
The Giants clearly needed to improve on the kicking downs - and they plan to do that at the expense of their division rival. Harris was a key figure on all four of those special-teams units.
Harris led the Cowboys in special-teams tackles in 2014 with 18 and finished second in 2013 with 13. He also finished second in the NFL in punt returns in 2012 with a 16.1 average and second in the NFL in kickoff returns in 2013 with a 30.6 average.
Harris quietly developed into one of the most explosive weapons on the team as well. But he did it in the shadows of Murray, Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and even Terrance Williams. The Cowboys may not have appreciated his contributions. The Giants did.
In his four seasons, Harris gave the Cowboys 29 plays of at least 30 yards or more. He is one of only three players in NFL history with both a kickoff and punt return of 85-plus yards in one game. He returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown against Washington in a 2013 game and ran a kickoff back 90 yards that same day.
Harris had a 78-yard punt return for a score in 2012 against Philadelphia, a 56-yard kickoff return against Detroit in 2013 and a 56-yard pass reception against San Francisco in 2014. He also caught a seven-yard game-winning TD pass against Minnesota with 35 seconds left in a 2013 game.
Harris caught that 56-yard pass against the 49ers in the season opener. It was the longest play of the game for the Cowboys. Romo didn’t throw Harris another pass in the next three games.
Only Dez Bryant caught longer passes for the Cowboys last season - four TD receptions in the 60-yard range. But the Cowboys threw Bryant 188 passes on the season, giving him ample opportunity to make plays. Romo only threw 11 passes at Harris and he caught seven of them.
Harris wasn’t going to be a factor on offense for the Cowboys going forward. Not with Bryant, Witten, Williams, Cole Beasley with his newly-minted contract and the second-round potential of Gavin Escobar ahead of him in the minds of the Garrett-Linehan think tank.
The Giants have told Harris he will get the chance to contribute on offense. And he definitely will contribute on special teams.
The loss of Murray to the Eagles hurt the Cowboys. So did the loss of Harris to the Giants. More than you’d think.
Difference-maker
With Dwayne Harris on the roster, the Cowboys consistently ranked higher than the NFC East-rival New York Giants on special teams the last two seasons. The Giants hope to reverse that trend with their free-agent signing of Harris. Here are the numbers:
2013
Cowboys
Giants
Overall
4th
28th
Kickoff returns
4th
27th
Punt returns
5th
26th
Kickoff coverage
7th
9th
Punt coverage
18th
30th
2014
Cowboys
Giants
Overall
13th
25th
Kickoff returns
13th
18th
Punt returns
13th
18th
Kickoff coverage
6th
2nd
Punt coverage
20th
27th
