Vincent Frank
Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur indicated on Wednesday that the team plans for free-agent additions DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews to share the running back duties this season.
“They’re (Murray and Mathews) two really fine players,” Shurmur said, via the Delaware County Daily Times. “They’re two guys that have been starters in places that they’ve been and they’re going to come here and kind of share the role.”
This has to be considered a surprising comment based on the deals the two running backs received back in March.
Murray, the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, signed a five-year, $40 million contract with $21 million guaranteed. Meanwhile, the injury-plagued Mathews agreed to a much smaller three-year, $11 million deal.
It’s also a pretty big change in philosophy for an Eagles squad that had in the past relied on LeSean McCoy to shoulder the load under head coach Chip Kelly.
Why the change in philosophy?
It could be all about keeping Murray fresh throughout the season. Prior to putting up a league-leading 392 rush attempts for the Dallas Cowboys last year, Murray’s single-season high was 217 back in 2013.
Shurmur didn’t get into too much detail regarding how the workload will be divided, but it’s safe to assume the team will rely less on Mathews, who has missed 25 percent of possible games since being selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers.
If Murray’s workload is limited earlier in the year, it will enable him to stay fresh throughout the remainder of the season. Though, it also makes us wonder why Philadelphia handed him $21 million guaranteed to split carries.
Photo: USA Today Sports
