:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47827199/usa-today-8945551.0.jpg)
Philadelphia Eagles running back DeMarco Murray is reportedly unhappy with his role in Chip Kelly's offense, according to a report from ESPN's Ed Werder. Murray is so unhappy with his role that he addressed his frustrations with Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie.
Source: #Eagles DeMarco Murray addressed frustrations with role in Chip Kelly offense with owner Jeffrey Lurie. Doesn't want to cause scene
— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) December 8, 2015
Murray essentially got benched during the Eagles' Week 13 win over the New England Patriots. He only played 14 snaps, and he only had eight carries, which is less than both Darren Sproles (11 carries) and Kenjon Barner (nine carries) had.
Kelly suggested the Eagles used less of Murray because the team wanted to get Philadelphia's smaller running backs (Sproles, Barner) matched up with the Patriots' bigger linebackers. But that's hard to fully believe.
It's no secret that Murray has been very ineffective for the Birds this season. He's averaging 3.6 yards per carry. Giving the ball to him has often been a waste of a snap. He just doesn't look very explosive or fast.
This wouldn't be the first time Murray has complained about his offensive role. After Philadelphia's loss to Washington in Week 4, Murray told reporters he wasn't getting enough touches.
This is really a weird report. Werder states that Murray doesn't want to make a scene, but complaining is clearly going to make a scene. If Murray truly didn't want to make a scene, he shouldn't have said anything. And then there's this:
DeMarco Murray is competitive, high-character player who must feel abilities not being used fully and promises not fulfilled. In tough spot
— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) December 8, 2015
As if it wasn't clear enough where this report is coming from, well, this tweet couldn't make it any more obvious.
The Eagles' decision to award Murray with a five-year, $40 million contract this offseason continues to look like a giant mistake. There was a lot of concern at the time that Murray would be ineffective due to his massive 2014 workload, and those concerns proved to be true.
The bad news for Philadelphia is that they're basically stuck with Murray moving forward. The Eagles would have $13 million in dead money if they cut Murray after this year for a cap savings of negative $5.0 million.