Murray, signed to the Eagles in the free agency period, was used lightly in the team's training camp and didn't play a down in their first preseason contest. Would his overuse last year account for that absence?
"I think there is a lot of validity to it," Eagles coach Chip Kelly told Monday Morning Quarterback.
Kelly said he wanted more variety in the backfield this coming season, not merely to ease Murray's workload, but to provide different looks to opposing defenses.
"Our plan all along was to get another running back with him [Murray], "Kelly added. "I wanted to have two running backs, and that's why we got Ryan [Mathews]. I don't think you can have a guy carry it 370 to 400 times per season and be successful. We're going to run it a lot - we always do - but we'll have more than one guy doing it."
Mathews had already agreed in principle to a deal with Philadelphia before Murray was signed, and rather than walk out of that agreement, Mathews agreed to be the No. 2 rusher, a position that looks to be more important than it might on other teams.
Such an arrangement may not give Murray any rushing titles, but it also won't give him any more bumps and bruises than it would have, either. And it will ensure the Eagles post one of the more balanced and diverse offenses in the NFL.
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