Rookie running back Dalvin Cook has impressed the Minnesota Vikings’ coaches and players during training camp and his first preseason game, leaving everyone to wonder where free agent signee Latavius Murray fits in now.
We won’t find out until he gets back on the field.
“I need to see him,” head coach Mike Zimmer said Tuesday. “I think anytime you have a new guy come in, you need to see him play some.”
With Murray sidelined, the Vikings gave Cook the ball on nine of 13 offensive plays against the Buffalo Bills and he picked up five runs for 13 yards and four catches for 30 yards.
While Cook is showing signs of potentially being the Vikings’ future No. 1 running back, Murray wants to get back into action to show his team what he can bring to the offense.
“I think it’s tough because these players here don’t really know me that well,” Murray said. “I gotta earn their trust and get back on the field so they can see what I’m about. That’s the most frustrating thing for me.”
Murray missed nearly all of the Vikings’ time in Mankato as he recovered from ankle surgery. Over the last few practices, he has participated in individual drills and mixed into some team drills. He did not set a specific timeline while speaking with the media on Tuesday, but did say there’s a “plan in place,” and that he wants to play as soon as possible.
“I have to be honest with myself and smart about me going out there on the field,” Murray said. “I wanted to be out there back in OTAs, but it hasn’t come down to whether I want to be out there, I have to take precaution on how my ankle is.”
Murray added that he doesn’t want to wait until the regular season starts to see game action.
The former sixth-round pick of the Oakland Raiders rushed 195 times last season for 788 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. Whether he’s technically the No. 1 running back or not, Murray said his focus is building on each year.
“For me it’s about improving every year and playing better ball than I did last year,” Murray said. “I want to have more explosive runs, I want to be more effective in the pass game. I think I’ve been able to improve each year in the mental part of it, so I’ll continue to do that, given the opportunity.”
The post With Cook surging, Murray is anxious to show the Vikings what he can do appeared first on 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
Source:: 1500 ESPN Sportswire
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