Kansas City Chiefs Hire DeMarco Murray as New Running Backs Coach
The Kansas City Chiefs are making a significant addition to their coaching staff, finalizing a move to hire former NFL Offensive Player of the Year DeMarco Murray as their new running backs coach. Sources confirmed the hiring on Wednesday, marking a pivotal transition for Murray from the collegiate ranks at the University of Oklahoma back to the professional league where he once dominated as a player.
This hiring signals a clear intent by head coach Andy Reid and the front office to revitalize a rushing attack that has statistically lagged behind the team’s prolific passing game. Murray fills the vacancy left by Todd Pinkston, who was recently let go after a tenure that saw the ground game struggle to find consistent footing.
Building a specialized offensive infrastructure
The arrival of Murray creates a unique dynamic within the Chiefs’ offensive coaching room. He joins a staff headlined by offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who shares a strikingly similar background. Bieniemy, a former NFL running back himself, spent years coaching the position before ascending to the coordinator role.
According to reports from NFL insider Jordan Schultz, this shared experience creates a “great infrastructure” for development. Having two former high-level ball carriers overseeing the offense ensures that the running back room will have mentorship that understands the nuances of the position from a first-person perspective. It is rare for an NFL staff to possess this depth of specific positional experience at the highest levels of leadership.
For Murray, this represents a major career leap. After coaching at the collegiate level since 2019, joining an Andy Reid staff is widely considered one of the premier opportunities in football coaching. Reid has a long history of developing coaches who eventually go on to lead their own teams, and Murray now steps into an environment renowned for its offensive innovation.
Addressing statistical decline in the ground game
While the Chiefs have maintained their status as a dynasty through the greatness of Patrick Mahomes, the run game has been a lingering concern. The organization is banking on Murray’s expertise to reverse a downward trend in production.
In the 2025 season, Kansas City finished 25th in the league in rushing, managing only 106 yards per game. The prior season was even less effective, with the team averaging just 101 yards on the ground. For an offense that thrives on keeping defenses off balance, these numbers were viewed as unsustainable. The hope is that Murray, who rushed for 1,845 yards in a single season with the Dallas Cowboys, can instill a more physical and decisive running style in the current roster. His experience playing for the Titans, Eagles and Cowboys gives him immediate credibility with professional athletes who are looking to emulate his success.
Leaving a complicated legacy at Oklahoma
Murray arrives in Kansas City following a six-season tenure at his alma mater, the University of Oklahoma, where his time as running backs coach was met with mixed reviews. While he is celebrated as a program legend and holds school records for all-purpose yards and touchdowns, his coaching performance faced increasing scrutiny as the Sooners transitioned to the SEC.
On the recruiting trail, Murray was undeniably effective. He consistently landed blue-chip prospects and top-tier talent, including securing commitments from highly touted future classes. His personal appeal and NFL pedigree resonated with young recruits, making him one of the staff’s most valuable assets in living rooms across the country.
However, the on-field product in Norman often failed to match the recruiting hype. Critics and analysts pointed to the 2024 season as a low point, where the Sooners posted a losing record and the run game collapsed. The offense finished 104th nationally in rushing yards per game, a statistic that shocked a fanbase accustomed to dominant backfield play. Issues regarding running back rotation, player development, and a lack of explosive plays led to calls from the fanbase for a change in leadership.
For Murray, the move to Kansas City offers a fresh start away from the intense microscope of college football fan forums and the relentless recruiting cycle. For Oklahoma, the departure is bittersweet; they lose a premier recruiter and school icon, but they gain the opportunity to reset a position group that had underperformed during the team’s initial SEC campaign.
A new chapter for Murray and the Chiefs
This hiring is a calculated risk for Kansas City, betting that Murray’s shortcomings at the college level were situational and that his NFL acumen will translate better to the pro game. Coaching in the NFL requires a different skill set than the collegiate level, with less focus on recruitment and academic eligibility and total focus on scheme, technique and game-planning.
By bringing in a coach who has played the position at an elite level relatively recently, the Chiefs are hoping to bridge the gap between coaching theory and on-field application. Murray will now be tasked with maximizing the talents of the Chiefs’ backfield, potentially working with aggressive runners like Isiah Pacheco, or whoever they may draft will help complement the team’s aerial attack.
As the Chiefs prepare to climb back up the mountaintop, the addition of DeMarco Murray adds specialized expertise to an already formidable coaching staff.
