Latavius Murray Reportedly Visiting with Minnesota Vikings

Free-agent running back Latavius Murray is scheduled to meet with the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the news in wake of Eddie Lacy's agreement with the Seattle Seahawks, who also had their eyes on Murray.     

The Vikings have a starting running back vacancy after declining Adrian Peterson's 2017 contract option, making the 31-year-old veteran a free agent.   

Murray, 27, rushed for 788 yards and a career-high 12 touchdowns in 2016. He was the Oakland Raiders' leading rusher but lost playing time to Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington, who emerged as more explosive options. Washington led the team with seven carries of 20 or more yards despite posting only 87 attempts, while Richard matched Murray's five despite having 112 fewer carries.

With Peterson missing nearly the entire season with injuries and their offensive line in shambles, the Vikings running game suffered in 2016. Their 1,205 total yards and 3.2 yards-per-carry average were NFL worsts, and no Viking had more than 539 yards on the ground.

"I think that was the heart of the problem; we had way too many negative-yardage runs," head coach Mike Zimmer said of Minnesota's offensive woes, per Lindsey Young of the team's official website. "We have to run the football better this year."   

Murray is not necessarily explosive enough to single-handedly revive the Vikings' dormant ground game. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 21st running back last season, and that was working behind one of the NFL's best lines. Football Outsiders' metrics ranked him 23rd in DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average).