IRVING, Texas – DeMarco Murray has been named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year by the Pro Football Writers' Association.
It's the next in what promises to be a long line of awards for Murray, who finished the 2014 season as the NFL's leading rusher. In December he was named to the Pro Bowl for the second-consecutive season, and he was also designated first-team All-Pro.
Murray set career marks and Cowboys franchise records this past season, as he carried the ball 392 times for 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns. Factoring in the Cowboys' postseason run, Murray ran for 2,043 yards and 15 touchdowns in 18 games.
It wasn't just his running ability, though. Murray was the Cowboys' third-leading receiver with 57 receptions for another 416 yards, giving him 2,459 all-purpose yards on the season.
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The PFWA names honorees for NFL MVP, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, Rookies of the Year and Coach of the Year. Murray is just the second running back to be named NFL Offensive Player of the Year in the last eight years, along with Minnesota's Adrian Peterson in 2012.
Quarterbacks have dominated the proceedings for much of the last decade. Since Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson won the award back-to-back in 2004 and 2005, quarterbacks have won in six of the last eight years.
Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers was named the PFWA's NFL MVP for 2014, and Houston's J.J. Watt was named NFL Defensive Player of The Year.
Murray should also be in the running for the Associated Press' NFL Offensive Player of the Year award, and he's likely to merit consideration for NFL MVP. The majority of the league's major awards will be announced at the fourth annual NFL Honors show on Jan. 31, the night before the Super Bowl.
