Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly met with prized free agent addition DeMarco Murray this week and reportedly provided "no assurances" to Murray on his use going forward.
A week after Murray held a meeting, impromptu though it may have been, with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie on the flight home after Philadelphia rolled (hung on) to a shocking upset over the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, Kelly held a meeting of his own with his prized free agent addition, according to ESPN's Adam Caplan.
#Eagles head coach Chip Kelly and DeMarco Murray had a lengthy meeting this week, source said.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) December 13, 2015
During that meeting, no assurances were given in regard to Murray's role for the rest of the season. — Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) December 13, 2015
Per Caplan, the meeting was "lengthy," and no promises were made to Murray on his role in the Philly backfield going forward.
And in all reality, it makes complete sense. Murray hasn't been awful, but he simply hasn't been good enough, especially not to warrant the $40 million contract with $18 million guaranteed Kelly handed him this offseason. More importantly, Murray has been outplayed to this point by less-heralded Eagle running backs Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles. The diminutive Sproles is a weapon able to affect the game in a number of ways, so it's unlikely that he'd ever take over the lead back job on a fulltime basis, though his touches have increased significantly over the past couple of weeks - 15 carries and four receptions against New England, seven carries and two receptions against the Buffalo Bills.
Mathews, signed on the same day this offseason as Murray to much less fanfare, has averaged 5.3 yards per carry. He has just 465 yards rushing on the season, but with Murray's immediate and longterm future with the franchise becoming cloudier by the day, it wouldn't be surprising to see Mathews take on a larger role for Philly now that he's moved past his recent concussion.
Murray, despite his familiarity from his time at Oklahoma with the read option, zone blocking scheme Kelly runs, has been slow to the hole and even slower through it. Sproles, Mathews and even rookie Kenjon Barner have looked decisive and willing and able to break tackles and take what the defense gives them.
While Murray's contract likely means he'll be back next season - it will cost the Eagles $13 million to cut him - it sounds like he may not see much in the way of significant touches for the remainder of this season.
