The Broncos are reportedly bringing in a veteran to help make up for this loss & is signing Latavius Murray off of the New Orleans Saints.’
Latavius Murray : Trade | Broncos | Fantasy | Stats
Latavius Rashard Murray is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL).
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | January 18, 1990 Titusville, Florida |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Onondaga Central (Nedrow, New York) |
| College: | UCF (2008–2012) |
| NFL Draft: | 2013 / Round: 6 / Pick: 181 |
He played college football at UCF and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
He was also a member of the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, and Baltimore Ravens.
Murray played college football at the University of Central Florida.
Trade
The Denver Broncos signed veteran running back Latavius Murray off the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad Tuesday and placed starting running back Javonte Williams and starting outside linebacker Randy Gregory on injured reserve.
It’s unlikely that Murray will play Thursday night against the Indianapolis Colts, a source told ESPN, confirming multiple reports. Although, when asked if he could play in at least some personnel groupings in the game, coach Nathaniel Hackett said: “We’re still working through that, trying to get a feel for that.”
“[I’ve] known Latavius for a while now,” Hackett added. “He is another great pro. I mean we might have some of the biggest running backs in the league right now, just having that guy, a guy who’s done it so long, has experience with pass pro, can catch, is great for our team.
“I’m so happy he’s here … He’s a very good football player.”
Williams, the Broncos’ leader in carries and rushing yards, will miss the rest of the season because of a right knee injury sustained on the Broncos’ first play of the second half in Sunday’s 32-23 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, Hackett said Monday. Sources told ESPN that Williams has a torn ACL and LCL.
“Definitely devastating for [Williams],” quarterback Russell Wilson said. “A guy that you know he’s going to come back stronger, a guy that works his butt off every day.
“He’ll come back stronger, he’ll come back better. We’ll obviously miss him, we’ve got to step it up for him.'”
Latavius Murray Broncos
With Javonte Williams injured and Melvin Gordon III fumbling, Broncos’ general manager George Paton moved quickly to acquire a top veteran running back Monday by signing Latavius Murray away from the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad.
Murray was elevated to the Saints’ game-day roster for their game Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings in London and he gained 57 yards with a touchdown on 11 carries. It was the 50th regular-season touchdown of his career.
Even if Murray doesn’t play Thursday, he addresses other issues at the Broncos’ running back position going forward.
After Gordon, who has a history of fumbling problems, fumbled twice in the Broncos’ 11-10 win last week against San Francisco, head coach Nathaniel Hackett was planning to use the veteran sparingly in the Broncos’ game Sunday at Las Vegas.
Murray is a 9-year running back who has enjoyed 1,000-yard success — in 2015 with the Oakland Raiders — before settling into a 1B/No. 2 role with four teams.
Paton was the Vikings’ assistant GM in 2017-18 when he helped sign the free-agent Murray to a three-year contract.
Murray was initially a sixth-round draft pick out of Central Florida by the Raiders in 2014. He has been a steadily consistent, if unspectacular NFL running back every season in his career.
Latavius Murray Fantasy
According to Tom Pelissero, the Denver Broncos have signed Latavius Murray off of the New Orleans Saints practice squad.
Murray immediately steps into a Denver backfield that just lost Javonte Williams (knee) for the rest of the 2022 season.
The veteran running back will share touches with Melvin Gordon and Mike Boone and may be worth a speculative add for owners looking to strike the waiver wire jackpot in a backfield that should have plenty of opportunities for Murray to seize.
As we’ve seen the past few weeks, though, injuries tend to pop up closer to Sunday, so having a high waiver claim for a potential late-week waiver add is important.
At the very least, preserving your spot near the top of the pecking order will eventually come in handy, so don’t be in a rush to waste it on a mid-tier player.
There might not be a ton of waiver movement this week, so the climb back up the waiver order will likely be slow. Focusing on free agents and trying to improve around the margins seems to be the play this week.
Stats
Murray was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the 181st overall pick in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
He was the 15th running back to be selected in that year’s draft.
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After being third on the depth chart for the first half of the season behind veterans Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew, the Raiders turned to Murray in Week 11 to provide a spark after ineffectiveness by McFadden and Jones-Drew all year. He responded by totaling 59 yards on seven carries against the San Diego Chargers.
On November 20, 2014, he finished with four carries for 112 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, marking his first career touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs.
It also marked the first rushing touchdown the Chiefs defense allowed all season and his 90-yard touchdown marked the longest rush for the Raiders that year.
On September 10, 2021, the Baltimore Ravens signed Murray following injuries to J. K. Dobbins, Justice Hill, and Gus Edwards.
In his debut against the Las Vegas Raiders, he had 28 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, but the Ravens lost in overtime 27–33. He was named the starter in Week 4 against the Denver Broncos.
Murray was signed to the Saints practice squad on September 13, 2022. He was elevated to the active roster on October 1, 2022.