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Coach Chip Kelly stressed the value of having multiple running backs rather than one workhorse. The Eagles had gotten lucky the last two years, Kelly said, because LeSean McCoy stayed healthy.
"When they're in there, they're fresh," offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said Tuesday. "That's our approach. If we had one running back that was far and away better than the other ones, you would see a guy getting most of the snaps. We just happen to have guys that we think are good and we don't mind when they're in there."
But as ESPN.com's Phil Sheridan notes, the catch is that DeMarco Murray, the back the Eagles committed $40 million over five years to sign, is not getting his share of offensive snaps. Murray is averaging 3.4 yards per carry, well below Ryan Mathews (5.3) and Darren Sproles (3.8).
This year, the Eagles' four running backs have combined for 373 carries for 1,519 yards. Over a full 16 games, that projects to 426 carries for 1,736 yards. Their four backs are making $11.6 million this season, or 7.7 percent of the salary cap.
Last year, three Eagles running backs combined for 415 carries for 1,820 yards. They were earning $12.3 million, or 9.1 percent of the Eagles' salary cap.
The Eagles got their best value in 2013. That year, McCoy, Bryce Brown and Chris Polk combined for 389 carries for 2,019 yards. McCoy (312 carries for 1,607 yards) got the bulk of the work.
The Eagles' backs earned $6.2 million, or just 4.7 percent of the salary cap, in 2013.
Kelly's point was that McCoy's cap number was going to jump up to $11.95 million for 2015. With Sproles ($4.1 million) and Kenjon Barner ($510,000), the Eagles' cap number at running back would be about $16.5 million, or about 7.4 percent of the Eagles' total salary cap.
That's close to the same cap number as this year, except the Eagles are getting four backs for the same cap allotment as three backs. That's a positive thing.
The negative thing is that McCoy, while eating up a big chunk of cap space, was also a more productive back than Murray or Mathews.
Sheridan summed up, "The Eagles have more options with their current group of backs. But they had a better running back in McCoy. ..."
Meanwhile, Washington's difficulties at safety (they've started five of them this season) would suggest a big week for tight end Zach Ertz. Forget the game in October, when Ertz was still recovering from core-muscle surgery and caught two passes for 11 yards at FedEx Field.
Last December, Ertz caught a team-record 15 passes for 115 yards against Washington.