Through 10 days of training camp, one question that has yet to be answered or addressed is this: What is going on with DeMarco Murray?
In what has become a common occurrence for the 27-year-old this offseason, Murray spent a good portion of Wednesday's practice on the sidelines conferring with the training staff and working on his own practice regimen. At one point he was seen taking first-team reps during team drills. Then he quickly found his way back to the safety of the sidelines.
Murray, who missed practice last Thursday with an illness, insists his absence from practice has not been because of injury.
“I’m good,” he said regarding skepticism surrounding a possible injury. “We were just doing some things to get different parts of my body activated and get a little bit more strength in certain areas. I’m just taking it day by day and trying to get as much work in as I can.”
Instead, Murray cited his lack of playbook knowledge as the reason for his absences.
“It just depends on the plays,” he said. “There’s some plays where I’m comfortable and there’s some plays where I definitely need a little more work on, and I’m sure it’ll be like this throughout the season.”
While he hasn't been taking as many reps as he would have hoped for, the veteran running back said it's about being smart.
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“You always want to be out there every rep, but I’m not worried about it at all," Murray said. "A lot of guys take a lot of reps and a lot of guys get a lot of carries. I’ve been playing football for a long time, I feel great, and it’s my job to make sure I’m mentally and physically ready to handle whatever they throw at me.”
Murray’s lack of participation could be a product of his well-documented record workload last season. Including the playoffs, he racked up 497 touches, sixth-most in NFL history. Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said Wednesday he’s not worried about Murray's lack of work.
“Certainly we have a strong, good feeling about what he’s able to do,” Shurmur said. “He was out there and the last couple of days he’s been able to execute our basic runs and really kind of display a running style that fits what we want to do.
“I think he’s a guy that’s got great vision, and I think by having good vision, you know when it’s time to hit the hole or time to do something else.”
Murray said he is used to seeing limited touches in the preseason and likely won't see too many in Sunday's preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts at Lincoln Financial Field.
“In preseason and things like that, they’ve always taken care of me,” Murray said. “I’ve been on the end where in the last couple of years I didn’t play in the first couple of games in Dallas, so it all depends. Preseason is important and whatnot but you also don’t want to take a lot of hits.”
Regardless of his limited reps in training camp, Murray isn't concerned about being ready for the regular season opener against the Falcons in Atlanta on Monday Night Football.
“I think I’ve got a lot of experience under my belt playing in big games,” he said, “and I know how to get ready mentally and physically.”