Latavius Murray Off of PUP-List, On Practice Field Monday

Latavius Murray Minnesota Vikings Talks Dalvin Cook

When the Vikings decided to move on from Adrian Peterson this off-season, they had a pretty particular plan in mind to replace him. The first part of that plan was acquiring the top free agent running back in Latavius Murray, who needed ankle surgery and had that surgery after signing with the Vikings. The second, was drafting a running back, which they did with their first overall pick (after trading up to add Dalvin Cook to the roster). With Murray on the sidelines recuperating from his surgery, Cook has taken the lead in the running back battle (if you want to call it that) which has seemingly rubbed Murray the wrong way as he did feel like he was brought in to be what he was in Oakland, the lead back.

He hasn’t really said that outright, but he (like the wily veteran on the team, Jerick McKinnon as well) does feel like the position is his to lose and he is willing to fight for that position. In that regard, Murray said (to Viking Update):

“I still have a lot of catching up to do. They’ve seen a lot of him,” Murray said of Cook. “He’s been on the field; he’s been playing. He deserves everything that he has right now. I have to prove to the coaches and the team that I’m able to still go out there and perform at a high level. Today was just the start toward that direction.”

Well, I’d certainly hope he’s still able to do those things. I mean, sure, he’s been injured, but he’s still in his physical prime and only 27. But, he does need to show how healthy he is, and that’s something that he touched on as well. While saying that he didn’t have any pain, he did mention some soreness, which makes sense as the muscles on his leg have atrophied as he wasn’t allowed to put any weight on that leg. But, soreness is something that he’d love to deal with to get on the field and finally compete for the starting job the Vikings have.

“I was excited,” he said of getting cleared to start practicing. “It’s been a while and then obviously this was my first time practicing with this new team. A lot of emotions there, but, again, the majority of it just excited to be back on the field. It was a big relief. I’m excited and just want to keep continuing to work, work hard and get back to where I need to be.”

As a fan of the Vikings first, I’m extremely excited to see what Murray can do and while it was weird to not see Adrian Peterson on the field at training camp over the weekend, it was time to move on and I think that the Vikes have put together the right team to really accomplish that. While we don’t know whether or not we’ll see Murray on the field Thursday night during their first preseason game, we will eventually.

Share: