Saints release Latavius Murray, and Ravens should be all in
By Alex Frick
After losing nearly their entire depth chart, the Baltimore Ravens are desperate for help. With the New Orleans Saints release of Latavius Murray, they have their answer.
According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Saints are releasing Latavius Murray. The reasoning? Reports say Murray was asked to take a pay cut and he was not interested. The Ravens should already be on the phone with Murray’s agent.
The Ravens have had terrible fortune when it comes to their running back depth. If losing starting back J.K. Dobbins for the season in the team’s final preseason game, they were already coming into the season short at the position, as first-round pick Rashod Bateman will start the season on injured reserve. If that wasn’t crippling enough, Justice Hill was just announced to be out for the season, suffering a torn Achilles in practice.
Latavius Murray should be signing with the Ravens after release from Saints
With the Ravens down three quality backs, their depth chart is extremely thin. All that is left is Gus Edwards and Ty’Son Williams. Edwards has been a serviceable rusher in the past and Williams is an unproven commodity. If the Ravens want to continue to be the league’s most lethal running attack, this position needs to be addressed immediately.
After the news of Hill’s Achilles injury, the Ravens worked out veterans Le’Veon Bell and Devonta Freeman. With today’s release of Murray, he could be the solution they desperately need. Coming off a season in which his highest yards per attempt (4.5), Murray has arguably been the best back-up runner since he entered the league in 2015 with Oakland.
With the season less than a week away, the Ravens will be desperate to fill this position with not only high-end talent but a player who has been able to adapt to multiple offensives and be able to do it quickly.
Although they have both Freeman and Bell as options, Murray has been proven to be more than a fill-in for a position devastated by injury. It would be surprising if he didn’t receive the call.