Chiefs start mostly fresh at running back —including position coach Demarco Murray
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- DeMarco Murray accepted his first NFL coaching job with the Chiefs.
- Murray previously coached at Arizona and then at Oklahoma under Riley and Venables.
- Murray cited Andy Reid and coordinator Eric Bieniemy as key reasons for joining.
The Chiefs overhauled their backfield this offseason, and they didn’t stop with the players.
DeMarco Murray, a former NFL offensive player of the year, accepted his first coaching job in the pro ranks after taking a call from Kansas City head coach Andy Reid.
“He didn’t have to sell a lot,” Murray said. “Just knowing his resume, and a guy I’ve studied for a long time. When a guy like Andy Reid calls you, it doesn’t take a lot to jump on board.”
Since retiring as a player after the 2017 season, Murray had coached in college football. He spent one season at Arizona before settling in at his alma mater, Oklahoma, where he coached under Lincoln Riley and Brent Venables.
The Sooners reached the College Football Playoff last season.
“I was extremely comfortable at Oklahoma,” Murray said. “It was a place for me and my family that was home for us for the last six years.”
Murray said he elected to remain at OU despite multiple offers to coach elsewhere. But the opportunity to coach with Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, returning to his role after a three-year absence, and working with an organization that’s won three Super Bowls since 2019, eased the decision-making process.
“It was the right time,” Murray said.
Murray will help reshape a position group that returns one player, Brashard Smith, from last season. Smith started one game as a rookie.
Gone from the roster are Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt and Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Enter Kenneth Walker, the Super Bowl MVP from the Seattle Seahawks. He figures to serve as the Chiefs’ featured back after signing a three-year, $43 million free-agent contract with $28.7 million guaranteed.
“A savvy veteran who does things the right way,” Murray said of Walker. “He’s led the group the right away, vocally and by example.”
Also new to the Chiefs and from the NFC West is Emari Demercato, who spent his first three NFL seasons with the Cardinals. He rushed for 819 yards over three seasons with Arizona.
The Chiefs also drafted a running back, Nebraska’s Emmett Johnson, who led the Big Ten in rushing last season.
They’re all first-time Chiefs, along with Murray. The objective will be to improve a running game that ranked 25th in the NFL last season and 28th in yards after contract. The Chiefs had the fewest explosive runs (20 or more yards), with just three.
All the Chiefs newcomers have an example to follow, in Murray. After this stellar career at OU, where he helped the Sooners win three Big 12 championship as a player and one as a coach, he went on become a three-time Pro Bowler.
Murray posted a monster season in 2014, when in his final year with the Dallas Cowboys he led the NFL in rushing with 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns and was named the league’s top player.
Murray made a contribution to the Chiefs’ roster not long after taking the job — on the defensive side. He was asked in advance about edge rusher R Mason Thomas, and Murray delivered his recommendation.
The Chiefs selected Thomas in the second round of the draft in April.
“What was really good was having insight from DeMarco Murray,” Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. “DeMarco was great in sharing what he thought about R Mason.”
Murray will have plenty on his plate with his own group, too. KC is looking to create more production from a backfield that couldn’t keep the Chiefs from posting their worst record (6-11) in the Reid era.
They’re all in it together...for the first time.
“They all come from different backgrounds, so we’re just getting to know them, implementing the offense, implementing the coaching philosophy,” Murray said. “But most importantly these guys have come in every single day with a great attitude and right mindset.”