Latavius Murray's orange-and-blue debut will have to wait another week.
The newly-signed Denver Broncos running back is expected to be deactivated for Thursday night's game against the Colts, per NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, who noted "too quick a turnaround" for the well-traveled veteran.
"Expect him to play vs. the Chargers," Rapoport added.
It indeed has been a whirlwind 72 hours for Murray, who spent last Sunday in London, taking carries for the New Orleans Saints. On Monday, he was in Denver, leaping off the Saints' practice squad and onto the Broncos' active roster. The 32-year-old went through a pair of walkthroughs Tuesday and Wednesday but it wasn't enough to get up to speed.
A tenth-year veteran now on his fifth NFL team, Murray has accumulated 1,321 carries for 5,549 rushing yards and 50 touchdowns across 123 games with the Raiders (2013-16), Vikings (2017-18), Ravens (2021), and Saints (2019-2020, 2022). The UCF alum owns a 4.2 career yards-per-carry average and has added 1,377 receiving yards and two TDs on 196 catches. He's fumbled only twice since 2016.
“I’ve known Latavius for a while now, and he is another great pro," Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett said Tuesday. "We might have some of the biggest running backs in the league right now. Just having that guy, a guy that has done it for so long, has tons of experience, can pass broke and catch, is something that's great for our team. Also as a person, as a leader. I'm very happy that he's here.”
With Murray down and Javonte Williams (knee) on injured reserve, Denver will feature Melvin Gordon as its workhorse while Mike Boone is elevated to full-time No. 2 duties. The team also promoted Devine Ozigbo from the practice squad to serve as RB3.
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