The first offseason drama surrounding Eagles running back DeMarco Murray came today when NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport rapoported that the Eagles and Murray could be headed towards a staredown in the next few months.
When you look at Rapoport’s report closely, it really doesn’t provide any more information that we didn’t already know. Basically, the Eagles are very unhappy with Murray after his dismal 2015 season and they’re looking for any way possible to get rid of his contract for 2016 (and beyond).
Murray is scheduled to earn $8 million in 2016, per Spotrac. The Eagles have a $13 million cap hit if they cut Murray this offseason. By comparison, not a single team in the National Football League is allocating $13 million to the running back position in 2016.
If the Eagles did want to part ways with Murray, either by releasing or trading him, Rapoport suggests the Seahawks, Raiders, and of course, the Cowboys as possibilities for his 2016 team. The first two showed significant interest in him last season and Dallas struggled to replace his production on the field after allowing him to leave as a free agent.
Now it’s realistically not an option for the Eagles to cut Murray. He’s not even close to the player he was when he was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2014. Of course, running behind players like Matt Tobin and Allen Barbre instead of Tyron Smith and Zack Martin affects things too. And it wasn’t hard to see that Chip Kelly didn’t even attempt to use Murray the way he’s most successful, as a north-south runner.
In 2015, Murray rushed for just 702 yards. He averaged a career-low 3.6 yards per carry. He was briefly demoted to the fourth-string running back in late November. He looked sluggish and slow and seemingly incapable of breaking tackles the way he did the previous season. Quite simply, he was one of the most disappointing players in the league. That’s not even remotely an exaggeration.
It’s really hard to gauge what new Eagles head coach Doug Pederson thinks about Murray. He has no connection to him at all. He didn’t sign him to an outrageous contract last offseason. He inherited him and now he’s stuck with him unless he finds a team willing to pay a high salary for a 28-year-old running back who showed a severely declining skillset and has had whispers about not being a great teammate, both in Dallas and in Philly.
If the Eagles could get even a seventh-round pick for Murray, they should pull the trigger. You want to roll the dice and gamble on Murray rebounding in a new offense better suited for his strengths? Fine. I wouldn’t take that chance. With cap space already tight for the Eagles, an opportunity to shed significant salary isn’t one to turn away.
Without Murray, the Eagles would need another running back. Veteran Ryan Mathews is a great situational back but he’s also 28 and has proven throughout his career that injuries will be an issue. Darren Sproles, now 33, is still effective, but at five or six carries. That leaves an additional 10 to 12 carries that would need to go to another back, whether it’s Kenjon Barner, a free agent or a rookie (preferably a late-round pick).
Then again, this speculation probably doesn’t mean much because it’s hard to see Murray going anywhere. I don’t know why a team would offer anything for his services, and the Eagles would be foolish to cut him and absord such a high cap hit.
Their best bet is to stick with one more year of Murray and then make a change next offseason if things haven’t improved. The Eagles have to pay Murray in 2016, but there’s no rule saying they have to start him. At minimum, they can use him as a short-yardage back. After all, he was 17 of 17 on third or fourth and short situations in 2015. That’s been an area of weakness for the Eagles for years.
Now if the Eagles decide to move on a year from now, the cap hit is just $5 million. That’s still a high amount to pay any player to not play for your team, but it’s not as embarrassing as having to make the same decision just one season into a five-year deal.
For better or for worse, the Eagles are stuck with Murray for at least the 2016 season. Let’s hope that a new head coach and offensive coordinator, a new scheme and hopefully an improved offensive line bring some positive results out of a player who just one year ago was arguably the best in the NFL at his position.
How does offsetting language in the contract work? If another team signed him would that give us cap money back?
If Eagles cut him and another team signs him, Eagles still have to pay the cap hit. But if Eagles can trade him, I believe they can work it out with another team so they don’t have to pay his full salary.