Chip Kelly acknowledges concern over DeMarco Murray’s workload

The Dallas Cowboys let DeMarco Murray leave in free agency in part because they knew he was overworked last season, and they feared he would not be able to match his excellent production in the future. Chip Kelly convinced the Philadelphia Eagles to sign Murray to a big-money deal, indicating he believes the back will remain productive for the future. Still, the Eagles head coach/GM appears to share Dallas’ concern.

In an interview with The Monday Morning Quarterback’s Peter King, Kelly acknowledged some pause about Murray’s 447 regular season touches last year with the Cowboys.

“I think there is a lot of validity to it,” Kelly told King. “But how do you manage him going into a season? Our plan all along was to get another running back with him. I wanted to have two running backs, and that’s why we got Ryan [Mathews]. I don’t think you can have a guy carry it 370 to 400 times per season and be successful. We’re going to run it a lot — we always do — but we’ll have more than one guy doing it.”

The Eagles signed Murray to a five-year, $40 million deal with $21 million guaranteed. You don’t make that kind of commitment to a player unless you believe he has a lot left, which Kelly clearly does so long as his workload is properly monitored. But Kelly is no fool. Most NFL teams have two to three prominent ball carriers on their team, and the Eagles will be no exception. It’s obvious they plan to run the ball plenty, which is why they have enough guys to share the workload. Now the fun part will be seeing whether Dez Bryant’s warning to DeMarco becomes valid.

Helmet smack to Pro Football Talk