If you hear any level of certainty in a current conversation around DeMarco Murray, tune it out. It's reductionistic and inaccurate, and there are better things to do with your time.
The Kansas City Chiefs have reportedly hired Murray as their new running backs coach heading into the 2026 season, and the instant responses on social media either hailed it as a genius move or dismissed it, mostly because internet commenters like to be miserable. But the truth is that any judgment calls now—and even likely later—can be made about Murray's arrival.
Let's get some things clear from the outset that we can say with certainty: Changes were necessary on the Chiefs coaching staff. Andy Reid and company were outcoached last year. There's no way around it, even when referencing a legend. Player usage was suspect all season long. Game plans felt predictable. Coaching decisions seemed stubborn. To his credit, Reid owned his share of the blame after the team's 11 losses, but the failure to adjust was maddening.
That's why a shakeup was to be expected, and certain positions looked likelier than others. When the offense struggles and a team has a wide receivers coach without any real pedigree for coaching the position, that's a fairly obvious choice. When the running backs coach is a former NFL wide receiver, that also feels like something to address. The Chiefs did both when dismissing Connor Embree and Todd Pinkston, respectively.
Murray, who joins the Chiefs after six seasons as RB coach for the Oklahoma Sooners, will be replacing Pinkston. And this is where things become murkier.
It made sense to move on Pinkston as part of an overall effort to improve the team, but analyzing Pinkston's impact on its own is an impossible task. Each positional coach is part of a cohesive whole. There are interns and assistants, coordinators, and a head coach. And every coach can only work with whatever talent is on hand in a given year.
It’s impossible to isolate what DeMarco Murray’s hire will mean for the Chiefs, which makes any early praise or panic overly simplistic.
The dearth of talent in the Chiefs backfield in recent years would have made even the most decorated positional coach look less impressive. Isiah Pacheco was a nice find in the seventh round four years ago, but after multiple injuries, it was silly for the team to trot him out as a bell cow. Kareem Hunt is a nice short-yardage back, but the usage range is limited there. Brashard Smith was a seventh-round rookie learning the nuances of the position.
How good can a position look when the front office only hands over NFL draft picks that start in the 200s? What about additional help from free-agent retreads barely hanging on to their professional careers? It's like handing a box of enriched macaroni product to an Italian chef. There's only so much that can be done.
Murray, on the other hand, is likely going to receive a bountiful supply of talent. Anything feels possible for the Chiefs at running back this offseason after watching the league's least-dynamic backfield at work in 2025. Patrick Mahomes' recovery from a torn ACL and LCL only makes the position all the more important, which is why K.C. has been linked with top free agents like Breece Hall or draft picks like Jeremiyah Love.
If the Chiefs showcase significant improvement in the backfield in 2026, how much of that credit belongs to Murray? What about Eric Bieniemy's arrival as offensive coordinator? What about potential changes in overall offensive approach made by Andy Reid? What about a front office that brought in new talent? It's all mixed together.
The same can be said in the opposite direction, which is where Murray's online detractors come in. Oklahoma fans will point to the lack of production for Sooners running backs in recent seasons under Murray's leadership, but the same issues of differentiation exist on the collegiate level as well. Who is to blame there? What about the head coach or coordinators? What was the talent level like for Murray to begin with?
The truth is that it's impossible to accurately measure what Murray's hire will mean to the Chiefs. It's trying to identify the exact impact of a specific ingredient in a stew. Some flavors might stand out, but nothing stands on its own. Any conversation around the addition of Murray, or even the subtraction of Pinkston, has to keep all of this mind, even if it's more common (or fun) to cheer or jeer every move as if things are so easily analyzed.