DeMarco Murray and the Jaguars: Opportunity Blooming?
By Luke Sims
DeMarco Murray is a much-coveted running back during the 2015 NFL Free Agency Period. He’s the type of running back that defies the undervaluing of his position, putting the Dallas Cowboys on his back and carrying them to the playoffs last season.
That is just the type of running back that the Jacksonville Jaguars could use, especially with second-year quarterback Blake Bortles coming off a rookie season that was less than spectacular. Murray never really seemed like an option for the Jaguars as the team has Denard Robinson and Toby Gerhart under contract and are finding ways to make them effective runners. But with the news that the Jags want to use Gerhart in more inventive ways, the search for a quality running back began in earnest.
Murray could suddenly be that running back.
That vague opportunity could do wonders for a Jaguars team that has struggled to run the ball the last two seasons. Having a reliable back like Murray in the stable would allow the Jaguars to let Denard Robinson develop at his own pace, transitioning from an “offensive weapon” to a true NFL-caliber back.
There are other options at running back available in free agency, but Murray is definitely the big fish. With other free coveted free agents being snapped up (so long, never-Jaguar Randall Cobb!), the Jags may finally have to exert their dollar advantage and literally throw money at DeMarco Murray to get him to come to town. The Jags certainly don’t want to encumber themselves with a bloated contract that causes development problems for the team later down the road, though. Running backs don’t last forever and there’s no way Murray can hold up year in and year out doing what he did over the last season (392 attempts, 1845 yards).
DeMarco Murray is an unique talent in the NFL right now. He’d be worth grabbing up if the Jaguars can. Hopefully that window of opportunity doesn’t close too soon.