The Tennessee Titans have cut the tenure of running back DeMarco Murray. The Titans announced this on Thursday, when Jon Robinson, the team’s general manager said in a statement that Murray was good in every facet and that the team wishes him and his family all the best wishes moving forward.
The Titans have given Derrick Henry the chance to load the next season. Henry, the 2016 second-round draft pick will be taking over as the Titan’s primary running back. Most likely, the team will be adding a third-down, change-of-pace back via a free agency or the draft.
Murray, who turned 30 recently, ran for the AFC-leading 1,287 yards and nine touchdowns in the 2016 Pro Bowl which was his first year with the Titans. He ran for six touchdowns and 659 yards in the last season as Henry took a bigger role gradually in the running game.
Murray was hampered by a knee injury late in the year and had missed the team’s final regular season game and two playoff contests. In 2018, he was due to make a base salary of $6.25 million, but the Titans wanted Henry to take his place as their lead running back.
The team is now left with $54.28 million under the salary cap heading into the start of free agency on Wednesday. Henry, who is a 2015 Heisman Trophy winner, led the Titan’s with a 744 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns last season.
The Titans selected Murray in a March 2016 trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Murray had spent a year with the Eagles after playing four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He played for the Cowboys in the year 2014 when he won the NFL rushing title and was voted as the Offensive Player of the year.
