Latavius Murray is no longer on the Saints' roster, and in fact, he never technically was.
That's because despite leading the team in rushing during a Week 4 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, he did so as a "standard practice squad elevation." It's a concept that will be confusing to many, so let's break down the mechanics of how a Saints running back is suddenly a member of the Denver Broncos instead of the New Orleans Saints.
First things first: Opposing teams can sign members of another team's practice squad whenever they want, with a few exceptions. If he's coming off a team you're facing the upcoming week, it has to be a minimum of 6 days prior to the game. That's significant in this case, because Phillip Lindsay, a player who came up through the Broncos' system, is currently on the Colts' practice squad. He was elevated for the Thursday night matchup with Indy's star RB Jonathan Taylor dealing with an injury. Because of that time limitation, Lindsay was off the table.
Murray was ultimately left inactive for Denver in Week 5, with another former Saints RB in Devine Ozigbo getting elevated for the game. He was claimed on waivers by Denver during training camp.
Listen to a full discussion on the Latavius Murray signing on the latest episode of Inside Black & Gold. Can't see the embed? Click here.
As it pertains to Latavius, playing for the Saints in Week 4 did not prevent him from signing elsewhere. And that's what he did when the Broncos came calling after starting RB Javonte Williams went down with a season-ending injury. That didn't mean the Saints let him walk out the door without a competing offer. Another member of the Saints practice squad in LB Eric Wilson was signed by the Green Bay Packers, oddly bringing him back to London for the second consecutive week for their matchup with the Giants.
In the past two seasons teams had the option to "protect" certain players from being signed elsewhere. That's no longer the case in 2022. In the end it didn't change anything. The Saints never actually used that function when it was available.
"We called [Murray] up and when we needed him and he had a great game for us. He was definitely a difference in that game, and we would have loved to have kept him," said Michael Parenton, Saints Director of Pro Personnel, on WWL this week. "But I think in the player's mind there was a greater opportunity to contribute in a more significant role with those guys having a major injury at their running back position. ... It's a greater opportunity to be more involved quicker for Latavius and I'm happy for him. He deserved it."
One more caveat of signing a player off another team's practice squad: Doing so means you're required to hold that player on the roster for at least three weeks. The Saints could've made the same commitment to Murray, but there was no rule-bound guarantee. The Saints' backfield is also more crowded, with Alvin Kamara expected to return from injury and veteran Mark Ingram still in a featured role. At best Murray would've been contending with Ingram for backup reps, while in Denver there's a reasonable chance for close to an even timeshare with veteran Melvin Gordon. Murray's decision is an understandable one.
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Saints head coach Dennis Allen said he spoke directly with his former back before the decision was made, and there are no hard feelings. Murray ran for a hard 57 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries over in London. That earned him a roster spot that had eluded him at the beginning of the season. It just isn't in New Orleans.
"Certainly we would we would love to have Latavius," Allen said this week. "I think the opportunity that he had there in Denver, he felt like that was going to be an opportunity to potentially be one of the lead backs there. ... Ultimately he felt like that was a better situation for him, personally."
The result was certainly not a positive for the Saints, but it is an example of the ever-evolving practice squad system can function. This year teams can have up to 16 players on the practice squad. Of those players, six can be classified as "veterans." As many as two of those players can be called up to the active roster and participate in that week's game, and that can happen as many as three times for any player before they must be signed to the active roster. That was the case for players like Kenny Stills and Kevin White last season.
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It allows teams to get a look at players, and for players to get NFL exposure, without forcing teams to subject multiple players to waivers. Previously you'd have had to sign a practice squad player to your 53 and waive somebody else. To send him back, he'd have to be cut. The elevation option saves paperwork and players hitting waivers unnecessarily.
DT Christian Ringo and TE JP Holtz are other players who have seen action in that way, where in previous seasons they might not have had a path to the field. Both performed well in spot duty and Holtz was signed to the active roster heading into Week 5.
"Practice squad or not, the way it is now, those guys are part of your roster," said Saints OC Pete Carmichael. "And there's continuing development of these guys. ... You get to see them during practice and you're still coaching them the same way, they're going through all the drills. So again, that's on us as coaches to get those guys ready to play if they have to."
White could also find himself in that role again, having been signed this week to the Saints' practice squad after being hurt in training camp. Veteran cornerback Chris Harris is a player that's almost certain to see some time after being signed to the practice squad earlier this week. Defensive back Bryce Thompson was also signed to the practice squad this wek.
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At the end of the day, the thing to remember is: Latavius Murray is no longer on the Saints' roster not because things weren't handled correctly, but because they worked as designed. This time it worked out best for Murray and the Broncos.
"If you have an opportunity to sign to an active roster, and we want to keep you, we'd love to sign you as well," Parenton said. "But ultimately it's your choice whether you want to stay with us or not. We're not going to hold any hostages here."