Hackett offers nice endorsement of Latavius Murray, is he new No. 1 RB?

The Denver Broncos added veteran running back Latavius Murray on Monday night.

They poached him off the New Orleans practice squad, after Murray rushed for 57 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries in the Saints’ loss to Minnesota.

That game was in London, so Murray has obviously had a crazy travel schedule the last few days. But with the Broncos losing running back Javonte Williams for the season, and Melvin Gordon a massive fumbling liability, they may need him right away.

At his press conference on Tuesday, Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett was asked if Murray will play Thursday night against the Indianapolis Colts. He didn’t rule it out.

“We’re still working through that. He just got here, so we’re just going to kind of get a feel for that and we’ll see what’s best for him,” Hackett said.

Translation? The Broncos are desperate for competent running back help. And if Murray can go, they’ll give him a uniform and see what he can do. He can’t possibly be worse than Gordon, and Mike Boone isn’t exactly regarded as a No. 1 running back in this league.

Murray met the media in the Denver locker room shortly after Hackett spoke, and said something similar to Hackett about playing against the Colts.

“I think anything’s possible,” Murray said. “Right now I’m not sure what the plan is, but for me I’m just trying to soak everything in. Soak the playbook in and get up to speed as quick as I can and just be prepared.”

Hackett also offered up a nice endorsement for Murray, which shows the coach is excited about the move.

“I’ve known Latavius for awhile now. He is another great pro. We might have some of the biggest running backs in the league right now. Just having that guy, a guy that’s done it for so long, has tons of experience. (He) can pass pro, can catch, it’s something that’s great for our team. Also, as a person, as a leader, I’m very happy that he’s here,” Hackett said.

And Murray can hold onto the football. While Gordon has fumbled five times in his last five games, Murray has just one fumble over his last five seasons. In fact, Murray has just nine career fumbles in 1,517 total touches — an average of 1 every 168.6 attempts.

So, we’ll see how it shakes out. Murray may not be the No. 1 running back on Thursday night, but you better believe he has a legitimate shot at that job sooner rather than later.

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