Is Philadelphia Eagles RB DeMarco Murray Better Than LeSean McCoy
Nov 27, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant (88) talks with Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy (25) after the game at AT&T Stadium. Philadelphia beat Dallas 33-10. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly has had a busy offseason thus far, to say the least. The Eagles free agent additions include RB Ryan Mathews, CB Byron Maxwell, LB Brandon Graham, QB Mark Sanchez, LB Brad Jones, CB Walter Thurmond III, and last but not least the newest addition former Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray. With all of the additions Philadelphia’s made, the team had to have some subtractions, and perhaps the highest profile departure was the trade that sent former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills. Out goes McCoy, in comes Murray. So, the question begs to be asked, is Philadelphia Eagles RB DeMarco Murray better than LeSean McCoy?
McCoy’s contract situation required the Eagles to do something with his hefty $10.25 million cap hit in 2015. Philadelphia will dole out roughly $8.4 million this year to Murray, so DeMarco wins the “monetary contract value” race. However, player on-field production versus cap value is two completely different things. We all know that Murray won the rushing title in 2014 via his dominating 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns. McCoy had his second best season as a rusher in 2014 gaining 1,319 yards (good for 3rd in the NFL) with 5 touchdowns.
Clearly Murray had the better 2014 season, but as someone who watched every snap Murray took, I can tell you that a substantial amount of his success was due to outstanding blocking by the Dallas Cowboys offensive line. That Cowboys O-line boasts three first round draft picks and it gave DeMarco running lanes that Dallas hadn’t seen since their multiple Super Bowl winning 90’s decade of dominance. Not all of Murray’s success is about his line, however, as he is a hard running, versatile back who can block and catch.
In his four professional years, Murray has two +1000 yard rushing seasons (2013, 2014) to McCoy’s four +1000 rushing season (2010, 2011, 2013, 2014) in his six year NFL career. By that measure, McCoy is the better back as he’s sustained greater amounts of rushing yards over a longer period of time. McCoy has proven his ability to consistently gain over one thousand yards during a longer stretch of time. The fact that Murray had his best season as a pro during a contract year should raise serious red flags for Philadelphia Eagles fans.
Nov 27, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray (29) in game action against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. Philadelphia beat Dallas 33-10. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Another factor that must be looked at when comparing McCoy to Murray are their injury histories. The worst injury of McCoy’s career came in 2012 when he suffered a severe concussion and missed four regular season games. Murray, on the other hand, has only played one full season without injury, that of his 2014 contract year. DeMarco’s injury history started in college when in 2007 he dislocated his knee and missed three games. In his 2011 rookie season, Murray pulled a hamstring missing two preseason games, then later fractured his ankle missing three regular season games. In 2012 DeMarco pulled his hamstring and missed all of OTA’s, then later that season he had a severe foot sprain and missed six games. Finally, in 2013 Murray sprained his MCL and missed two regular season games. Murray’s injury history gave the Cowboys fits throughout his tenure in Dallas whereas McCoy missed very few games due to injury.
The last area where McCoy clearly outclasses Murray is in the category of fumbles. Over his six years, LeSean has fumbled the ball 14 times while DeMarco has fumbled 12 times in four seasons. Murray usually does a good job of securing the ball for initial contact, but once he breaks the first tackle he has a tendency to relax his carry arm or at times will hold the ball out away from his body. His five fumbles in 2014 was by far Murray’s worst season for retaining possession of the ball, but some of that can be attributed to his 450 touches that were more than McCoy’s.
Murray and McCoy are different style runners. Murray is a north-south, violent runner whereas McCoy is more of a scat-back who dances and can hit a home run at any moment. Murray is better in short yardage, but McCoy is better in space. It will be interesting to see if Murray can rush for another +1000 yards in 2015. If Murray can stay healthy and hold onto the football, he will prove Chip Kelly right in getting rid of the Eagles all-time rushing leader.