The New Orleans Saints might be out of state, but that didn't stop them from making noise with the cut of a household name.
The team officially announced the signing of former Falcons and Lions cornerback Desmond Trufant, and terminated the contract of veteran running back Latavius Murray in a corresponding move.
The powerful running back was entering his third year in New Orleans after signing a 4-year deal before the 2018 season. He stepped into a role on the roster once held by Mark Ingram, who departed to the Baltimore Ravens in free agency. Murray rushed for 1,293 yards and 9 touchdowns while largely backing up star Alvin Kamara.
The move opens up the path for one of Dwayne Washington or Tony Jones Jr. to ascend into the backup role behind Kamara. The most likely option appears to be the second-year rusher out of Notre Dame who took over the spotlight with two strong preseason games.
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Still, the cut of an effective, veteran player less than a week before the opener will open eyes. Even in secondary role, Murray saw significant action in power sets and stepped in to Kamara's big shoes when he was inactive for a series of games in 2019. Murray broke the 100-yard rushing mark twice that season, and logged another 100-plus-yard performance in the 2020 season during a strange win over the Denver Broncos. That game didn't include Drew Brees or any of the Broncos quarterbacks, all of whom were out for COVID protocols.
Murray had what's likely his most impactful moment in the 2020 playoffs, catching an emergency dumpoff from Drew Brees and scampering in for a touchdown during the Wild Card round win over the Chicago Bears.
The 31-year-old power rusher could become an interesting waiver-wire target with two years left on his deal. If no team bites, he'll become an unrestricted free agent. The Saints had previously cut fellow veteran Devonta Freeman, who worked out with the Baltimore Ravens this week at the 53-man deadline.
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