The Philadelphia Eagles have been struggling this season and DeMarco Murray has not been off to a good start and is reportedly unhappy with his role in Chip Kelly's offense. Murray had some frustrations after the loss against the Redskins, as he has been splitting time with Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles for Sam Bradford.
Murray has just 47 yards this season on 29 carries in three games and that is a stark difference from last year when he led the league in rushing. According to Pro Football Talk, Murray had over 500 yards by this point in the season and he ended up with over 1800 for the Cowboys. Murray was asked about his role and whether he is getting enough touches and said to the Philadelphia Inquirer that, "no I'm not" and that "I don't think I am."
Murray said that he understood the situation and that he would be the "lead guy" and that in "this offense a lot of guys touch the ball." Kelly spoke about the situation during the week in an appearance on WIP and said that "everybody needs the ball more" and that he had "no issue" with what Murray said. Murray has just 40 touches overall this season with 29 carries and 11 receptions and that is one reason why the Eagles offense has not been able to be productive enough this season.
The Eagles came into the season with high expectations after making numerous changes this offseason and they are now 1-3 after the quarter mark. The Eagles offense has not run as many plays as their opponents and PFT reports that the team has had 241 plays on offense, while the opponents number is near 300. Kelly is known for his offensive scheme and he brought in Sam Bradford along with Mathews this offseason, but so far things have not worked out well.
Mathews and Sproles have been getting work along with Murray and fantasy owners should keep an eye on how the splits go this week. The previous week before this game, Mathews was solid catching the ball out of the backfield and rushed for 100 yards, while Sproles had two touchdowns, including an impressive 89-yard punt return for a score.
Sproles is a worthy start in PPR leagues and deeper fantasy leagues, while Mathews is now an essential handcuff for Murray with the way he has been playing. Matthews has 132 yards in four games and five catches for 44 yards and he likely will continue to get solid work behind Murray. Kelly also said that he has total confidence in Bradford, who went just 14 of 28 against the Jets with 118 yards passing and added three touchdowns against the Redskins. Bradford has six TDs and four picks, but Kelly said he has not considered making a change at this point.
The Eagles also have been dealing with some injuries, as Andrew Gardner is out and the team saw Jason Peters get banged up. Lane Johnson is also dealing with a knee injury and according to Pro Football Talk, Johnson said he will play this weekend despite the injury. The Eagles take on the Saints in Week 5 and Johnson has an MCL sprain in his right knee. Byron Maxwell is also dealing with a quad injury, but he should be able to play.
Check here for more on the Eagles, Murray and Kelly heading into Week 5.