Saints release Latavius Murray after he reportedly refused to take pay cut

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The New Orleans Saints cut ties with backup running back Latavius Murray on Tuesday afternoon.

Murray, who was coming off his best season as a professional, refused to take a pay cut, according to ESPN. Now, the Saints will bank on Tony Jones Jr. to fill the void and serve as the No. 2 running back behind perennial All-Pro Alvin Kamara.

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Murray, 31, had two years left on his contract. He was due $4.176 million this season and $4.3 million next year. By making the decision to release Murray, the Saints saved $2.327 million in salary-cap space. Last season, Murray ran for 656 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry. He also came down with 23 receptions for 176 yards and one score.

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As Kamara’s backup the last two years, Murray proved to be one of the most serviceable handcuffs in the NFL. He ran for 1,293 rushing yards, averaged 4.4 yards per carry, and had 11 total touchdowns for New Orleans.

There are quite a few running back-needy teams in the NFL, including the Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Chargers.

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The Jaguars lost rookie running back Travis Etienne to a season-ending foot injury during the preseason, which means second-year sensation James Robinson will be the team’s full-time starter. Murray could definitely be serviceable in that backfield. He could also help out the Ravens, who lost J.K. Dobbins to a torn ACL, and the Titans, who need a reliable backup option for All-Pro Derrick Henry.