NFL Free Agency: Minnesota Vikings sign RB Latavius Murray

The Minnesota Vikings announced early Thursday morning that they have signed former Raiders RB Latavius Murray.

Adrian Peterson hasn’t been a commodity for the Minnesota Vikings. He has also caved into the Sooners’ curse of being prone to injury while playing in the NFL. But fear not of the man from the past, but the man of the future. That’s a philosophy that the Vikings will have to practice with Latavius Murray. In the wee hours of Thursday morning, the organization filled empty space with the signing of the former Raiders running back.

Acting as the new kid on the block, Latavius Murray, who turned 27 as of mid-January, hopes to be the new flame in a candle whose wax has dried out. Obviously, he has a tough act to follow with the exit of Adrian Peterson, who was with Minnesota since 2007.

Now as Peterson continues his scavenge for his next NFL team, the Vikings are moving on with Murray. A graduate of Central Florida, he would save the best for last in his collegiate career. During his last senior season as a Knight, Murray would rush for over 1,000 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns, in addition to four receiving touchdowns. He would participate in two bowl games in four years, the most recent being a 2012 Beef O’Brady’s Bowl win against Ball State.

One year later, Murray’s childhood dream turned into reality. Even after being picked 181st overall, Murray would continue to sit in the waiting room up until Week 11 of the 2014 NFL season. He would eventually pick up where Darren McFadden left off, since the latter also compiled his own resume of injuries. In his last two season with the Raiders, Murray rushed for nearly 2,000 yards.

Minnesota hopes for the same output from their new guy.

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With the 2016 season now in the rearview mirror, the Oakland Raiders are left with a hole at the running back position. Though David Carr is likely to rejoin them as the signal caller, the future remains bleak in the backfield. DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard are two second-year players that Bernie Parmalee will have to whip into shape during the 2017 offseason.

As for the Minnesota Vikings, the headache has been temporarily relieved. With the addition of Latavius Murray, the running game should be an affair worth watching. It also gives Sam Bradford, who was sacked a career-high 37 times in 2016, a much-needed break.