Although Mathews has yet to live up to the hype that surrounded him when he entered the NFL in 2010, Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, and other coaches alike, have nothing but praise for the 12th overall pick from Fresno State (see more on that here).
“I had a little smile on my face when he came here,” Shurmur said of Mathews’ decision to sign with the Eagles. “I’ve spoken to Norv Turner about him and I know he had a lot of really good things to say, much like Mike McCoy.”
Mathews’ decision to join the Eagles raised some eyebrows this offseason. After trading Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy to Buffalo, Chip Kelly went out and signed 2014 rushing champion DeMarco Murray from division rival Dallas. The Eagles also had veteran running back Darren Sproles coming off a productive year of his own in which he was selected to his first-ever Pro Bowl, the story said. The Eagles like to run a lot of plays, so Mathews may get a few more carries as the team's RB2 than most other teams' RB2. The problem is the pass-catching role likely goes to Sproles. We predict Mathews for about 8-9 carries a game. He's especially valuable to a Murray owner as a handcuff but could have some deep-league value as well.
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