Some breaking news here tonight and it is not on the Raiders' end, but this is a key loss. It is announced that Latavius Murray has signed with the Minnesota Vikings. The contract details are unknown as of the moment. Murray got the endorsements from Derek Carr and Bruce Irvin to stay, but it seems their efforts fell just short.
Wow. I had a hunch that Tay Train was going to leave. Maybe he would head back home to Florida sign with the Jaguars, and team up with Blake Bortles just like in his Central Florida days. But, this caught me off guard when I found out about it immediately. He visited Minnesota since Tuesday from what I'm researching. I said in my post that if Murray leaves, he's leaving a good situation. Who would leave one of the best O-line in the NFL outside of the Dallas Cowboys to an above-average O-line? Granted, the Vikings did invest in the O-line in free agency, signing guys like Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers. But, it remains to be seen if they'll be as good of a front that the Raiders have Penn, Osemele, Hudson, and Jackson. Not to mention, he'll be playing with Sam Bradford under center. It's to be determined if Teddy Bridgewater would play another down in the NFL. Raider Nation, Murray had good seasons playing behind that O-line, but they were not great. 1,000 yards rushing two seasons ago, 12 rushing TDs last season, but he averaged 4.0 yards per carry during those two seasons. What the Raiders will miss about him though is his ability to catch out of the backfield, his nose for the end zone in goal line situations, and picking up blitzes for Carr. He's a pretty valuable asset at pass protection. Other than that, Tay is replaceable. The Vikings better hope he's not just a product of the Raiders' O-line. I wonder, could Tay's departure be the cue for Adrian Peterson to come to Oakland?
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