Five Big-Picture Takeaways from Eagles Week 15 Loss vs Cardinals

5.) The DeMarco Murray Situation Has to Be Resolved ASAP, as it Has Become a Debilitating Distraction

Dec 20, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back DeMarco Murray (29) warms up prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports

Following their win over the Bills, I remarked at how Chip Kelly the coach was starting to address the shortcomings of Chip Kelly the general manager. By reducing DeMarco Murray’s carries, Kelly showed his team that he would not reward a player with a big name/paycheck if there were other options on the roster better suited to achieve success. The team seemed to respond well and, to his credit, Murray has managed to keep his foot out of his mouth in the media despite his reduced role.

It was not Kelly’s fault that their game against the Cardinals was flexed into the Sunday night primetime spot. Unfortunately, this outcome was going to shine a major spotlight on Murray’s situation. Kelly did himself no favors by keeping the high-priced running back on the sideline for a crucial 4th and short play during the 2nd quarter. If there’s one area of Murray’s game he’s excelled at this season, it’s been picking up conversions in short yardage situations. That being said, Kelly was leaning on Ryan Mathews throughout the contest and it’s not as if that play defined the story of this game.

As the game started to get out of hand and the broadcast team started to focus less on the game tacking place on the field, the conversation naturally gravitated toward Murray. After the game, several players and Eagles coaches were bombarded with questions about Kelly’s decision not to give Murray a touch on the aforementioned 4th down play and his role in the offense in general. To their credit, everyone (including Murray) managed to avoid saying something regrettable. The prevalent issue with Murray as of now is that the questions aren’t going to stop and other players shouldn’t continue to be forced to address them.

The world may never know what’s taken place behind closed doors between Murray and Chip Kelly. The fact of the matter is that Murray is currently taking up a valuable roster spot as the most publicized bench-warmer in the league. The Eagles hardly used three running backs Sunday, let alone the four that were included on the active roster. With attrition at its highest toward the end of the season, there’s simply no reason to deprive oneself of a player that can contribute anywhere on the field or improve the depth at a position. Chip Kelly was right to reduce Murray’s carries. Now it’s on him to either de-activate Murray going forward, or bite the bullet and backtrack on his own decision.