Philadelphia Eagles Rumors: DeMarco Murray has ‘selfish’ reputation?
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly thought he was getting a no-nonsense player on the field and in the locker room when he signed DeMarco Murray to a five-year, $40 million contract with $21 million in guarantees after assuming control of personnel, but it looks like he has whiffed on this #culture signing.
There have been a number of notable free agent busts from this past offseason, as there’s been an Orlando Franklin for every DeAngelo Williams. Although the Philadelphia Eagles can’t be too happy with some of Byron Maxwell‘s issues this season, there’s little doubt that DeMarco Murray has been the biggest free agent bust of them all after carrying the rock a whopping 393 times for the Dallas Cowboys juggernaut offense in 2014.
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Murray’s work on-the-field has been disappointing enough, as he’s been thoroughly outplayed by Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, and even former Oregon Duck Kenjon Barner with just 3.5 yards per carry to his name. Previously, Murray’s career-low YPC in a single season was 4.1, but he averaged around 16 more yards per game in that 2012 campaign.
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However, what makes the Murray signing such a travesty for the Eagles organization is the fact that his play on the field hasn’t even been the biggest issue for this team, as colleague Jeremy Klump wrote earlier today.
Whether it’s giving Sam Bradford a death-stare, bypassing Kelly to groan about his role to the owner, or making gestures of displeasure after a busted play, Murray has become one of the NFL’s premier headcases in 2015 after being one of the NFL’s premier players in 2014.
Although most of us never saw these locker room-related issues coming with Murray, it looks like the Cowboys knew about these background issues beforehand.
A “club source” told the NFL Network’s Albert Breer, “The guy is a pro in his preparation and toughness and competitiveness. But he’s also entitled, selfish and condescending. He’s a great ‘team’ guy when he’s the guy.”
Dec 13, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back DeMarco Murray (29) looks on from the sidelines during a break in the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles won 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
This jibes with what we’ve seen this year, and it isn’t just the fact that Murray has become a headcase; it’s the timing of his prima donna behavior. See, he started all of this shortly after seeing his role reduced, as Kelly was finally willing to put a stop to giving a chronically under-performing player significant touches. Murray hasn’t carried the ball 15 times in a single game since Week 10, and Mathews’s return to health has sealed the former Oklahoma State RB’s fate.
It’s interesting to see that Murray’s character concerns were visible in Dallas, and you have to wonder if it matters how well the Eagles are doing. Because while the Cowboys were a top team last year and didn’t hear a peep from Murray, we also never heard public qualms from him earlier in his career when Dallas wasn’t as successful.
It seems, like this anonymous source stated, Murray cares more about his own role and numbers, because, well, the Eagles are playing better than they were earlier in the season when Murray’s role wasn’t an issue (though, his lack of efficiency on the ground still was very much a problem). Yes, the Eagles are below .500, but at 6-7, they are among the three-team logjam at the top of the NFC East and in prime playoff contention heading into Sunday night’s marquee matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
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I hope Murray can find his form at some point, but it looks like both sides might have to just cut their losses and move on, if possible. Maybe there will be a suitor out there for Murray, who was one of the best backs in the NFL in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. It’s possible the character concerns are completely overblown, but that might not matter to Kelly, the Eagles, and, especially, the fans, who were understandably livid when Murray dove short of the first down marker when face-to-face with a cornerback.