Murray undergoes hand surgery; Cowboys reportedly believe he can play Sunday
Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray underwent successful surgery on his left hand Monday, according to head coach Jason Garrett.
Murray still hasn't been ruled out of the team's Week 16 game against the Indianapolis Colts, and a decision on his status will be made once it's determined how well his surgically-repaired hand can function.
The team reportedly believes he can play Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, according to ESPN's Ed Werder.
Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones told 105.3 The Fan that Murray will likely be a game-time decision, and it's not unrealistic that he'll be ready to suit up Sunday.
"I don’t think we’d have to see him practice. I think it’s more a question of the condition of the hand at game time and what we can do to protect it," Jones said. "I think it’s one of those that you’d like to wait and see how he’s feeling just right before the game."
Garrett echoed Jones' opinion, agreeing that a decision will be made based on how comfortable Murray's hand is by game-time.
"The biggest question we have to ask ourselves is, is he functional to do his job?" Garrett told ESPN's Todd Archer. "Can he hold the football? Can he carry it under duress? Can he block? Can he do the things necessary to play the position?
"He's as strong-willed and as determined an individual as I've ever been around, and if anybody has a chance to come back, he does. So let's take first things first and see how the surgery goes, and we'll make our best decisions from there."
Murray reportedly suffered a broken fourth metacarpal bone during the fourth quarter of Sunday's victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. Murray rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries.
Should Murray be unable to suit up this week, Garrett is confident that backups Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar can carry the load.
We have a lot of confidence in those guys. Obviously we like to give them opportunities in games to spell DeMarco and just to give those guys a shot. I thought last night was a good example of how those guys consistently take advantage of those opportunities. Joseph got a couple of carries and was productive with his. I felt Lance did a really nice job in that game, at the end of the game handling the football and just doing some good things and making some good runs. They weren't splashy runs but they were real positive runs in critical moments of that ballgame.