Nine months after Eagles GM Chip Kelly gave DeMarco Murray a five-year $42 million contract, Eagles coach Chip Kelly appears to have benched the running back.
Murray played only 14 snaps during the Eagles’ upset win over the Patriots on Sunday, as backups Darren Sproles (15 carriers, four receptions) and Kenjon Barner (nine carries, two receptions) both touched the ball more than Murray (eight carries). Murray’s share could be even smaller when Ryan Matthews returns from a concussion.
Murray’s first season in Philadelphia has not gone as planned. The 27-year-old former Cowboy has 569 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the season and is averaging only 3.5 yards per carry. In Dallas last year, Murray racked up 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns on 4.7 yards per carry.
DeMarco Murray played just 14 of 61 snaps yesterday.
— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) December 7, 2015
DeMarco Murray is on pace to become the Eagles’ first back with 200+ carries to average 3.5 or less per carry since Tom Sullivan in 1974.
— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) December 7, 2015
You're paying Demarco Murray how much and you give the ball to Kenjon Barner in that situation?
— Bill Jones (@CBS11BillJones) December 7, 2015
DeMarco Murray seems like a role player today. Curious to see what the snap counts show, but Sproles/Barner continue playing a lot of snaps
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) December 6, 2015
Murray always seemed like an odd fit in Kelly’s system. He’s a big, bruising back who made a living muscling through holes created by the Cowboy’s monstrous offensive line, not the kind of speedster Kelly tends to favor. Last offseason, when Kelly traded LeSean McCoy and signed Murray, the coach’s defenders implored us to wait and see. Well, now we’ve seen, and the running back shuffling remains as confusing as ever.
According to Pro Football Talk, Murray said the right things after Sunday’s apparent demotion.
“You always want an opportunity to play and obviously run the ball, but we got the big victory so that’s all that matters,” Murray said. “Things we were doing were working so it went well for us.”
Now that Kelly the coach has decided he’s better off without Murray, Kelly the GM might consider whether to cut ties with the running back this offseason, if either Kelly is still around, that is.
