Eagles OC: DeMarco Murray, Ryan Mathews to share RB workload
Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur says that DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews will share the load at the running back position this season.
Murray led the NFL with 1,845 rushing yards and scored 13 touchdowns on a league-high 392 carries last season with Dallas Cowboys. He signed a five-year $40 million contract with Philadelphia this offseason, which included $21 million in guarantees.
Mathews, who signed a three-year, $11 million deal, only had 32 rushes for 330 yards and three touchdowns in six games last season with the San Diego Chargers.
Murray and Mathews are expected to be the bulk of the Eagles running attack after LeSean McCoy was traded to the Buffalo Bills for linebacker Kiko Alonso.
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“They’re two really fine players,” Shurmur said to 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. I think that’s terrific that that’s their mindset.”
Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley said that Murray is a perfect fit for the offense because of his one-cut, downhill running style.
“That’s what we’re preaching every day; one, two, three, four yards and a cloud of dust. And all the backs that we have are able to do that,” Staley said. "We want to get back to running the ball. We want to get back to just taking over the line of scrimmage.”
- Scooby Axson
