The Denver Broncos wasted little time in adding to the running back depth chart following the loss of Javonte Williams, who will miss the rest of the season.
The Broncos were dealt the devastating (though expected) news on Monday that Williams tore his ACL in the third quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. With only Mike Boone and the fumble-prone Melvin Gordon on the roster, the team needed more.
I gave some thoughts on five running backs the team should consider and though the team did not make a move on any of those guys, they did invade another team’s practice squad in order to get a veteran runner.
On Monday night, it was reported that the Broncos are taking Latavius Murray off of the practice squad of the New Orleans Saints.
This is a fantastic move for the Broncos, as Murray has had success in the NFL and he has been used to being called on in a pinch. In fact, he played in the Saints’ game against the Minnesota Vikings in London on Sunday and he looked quite good.
He led the Saints with 57 yards rushing on 11 carries in the game and scored a touchdown.
Last season, he played well for the Baltimore Ravens after both J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards went down early in the year with injuries. For his career, Murray has 5,549 yards rushing with 50 touchdowns. He has also caught 196 passes for 1,377 yards and two more scores.
Though he is 32 years old, his veteran presence is exactly what the Broncos need.
Though Murray played in Sunday’s game, he automatically reverted back to the Saints’ practice squad following the game, making him available to be signed by the Broncos.
It is unlikely that Murray will play on Thursday night against the Indianapolis Colts but the Broncos will likely get him ready to go and with a decent role in the offense soon.