DeMarco Murray started 15 regular season games for the Titans and played more snaps than Derrick Henry, but his spot as the No. 1 running back on the Titans felt more like a technicality than a clear leg up as the year went on.
Murray ran for 659 yards on 184 carries while Henry ran for 176 times for 744 yards and came up with big plays in the team’s Week 17 and Wild Card wins to keep their season alive. Murray missed both of those games and Saturday’s loss to the Patriots because of a knee injury that was the latest in a series of aches and pains that slowed Murray down this season.
While the Titans were clearing out their lockers Sunday, Murray was asked if he felt those injuries and Henry’s emergence make him feel his days as a No. 1 back are at an end. Murray said he does not and “definitely” thinks big things are ahead.
“I am very confident in myself and I am excited,” Murray said, via the team’s website. “I am excited about the future, and my future. I know what kind of player I am.”
Murray is signed for two more years with salaries north of $6 million, but there’s no cap hit to the Titans if they decide to move on with Henry as the top man in the backfield. That would seem to be a realistic possibility, although there’s some bigger fish for the Titans to fry before they move onto a call about Murray’s future.
