IRVING (AP)  DeMarco Murray began the year buried on the depth chart.

Laurent Robinson was cut a week into the season.

Dan Bailey had to outlast four challengers for his job.

But look at how things have worked out for them — and for the Dallas Cowboys, who probably wouldn’t be riding a four-game winning streak and leading the NFC East without those three guys.

Murray is the club’s leading rusher and Robinson has the most touchdown catches. Bailey has ended the last two games with field goals and has set an NFL rookie record with four winners in the last 2 minutes of regulation or later.

He is also the most accurate kicker in the league.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)