The LA Chargers waived standout edge rusher Caleb Murphy to make room for the return of Khalil Mack and Denzel Perryman in Week 7. That decision instantly backfired with a huge special teams blunder that may not have happened if Murphy was on the field.
It backfired in more ways than one, however. The Chargers, who were definitely hoping to get Murphy back on the practice squad to keep him in the ecosystem, had to say goodbye to the special-teams standout on Monday.
The New England Patriots claimed Murphy off waivers, officially ending his Chargers' tenure long before anyone expected it to end.
Chargers lose Caleb Murphy to Patriots in baffling roster mismanagement
It may not seem like a huge deal to lose a young edge rusher who wasn't going to play much on defense with the return of Mack and the addition of Odafe Oweh. Murphy's primary value didn't come on defense, at least in 2025. It came on special teams.
Murphy was one of the best special teams players for the Chargers heading into Week 7. He played 76% of the team's special teams snaps in the first six games of the season with a 65.3 special teams grade on Pro Football Focus.
Murphy's departure will force the Chargers to reshuffle the roles on the roster, which is only going to hurt the team in the long run. Without Murphy, third-year edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu will presumably return to a more prominent special teams role, as he did in Week 7.
It's not like Tuipulotu is a massive fall-off on special teams from Murphy, but it simply adds unnecessary stress to a young player who is coming into his own as an edge rusher. The Chargers aren't getting the most out of Tuipulotu by having him play a prominent special teams role.
What makes this more frustrating is that the right decision was right in front of the Chargers the entire time. Veteran edge rusher Bud Dupree has been a total non-factor for the Bolts. He is no better than Murphy on defense and doesn't add the same special teams value. If someone was going to get the boot, it should have been Dupree.
However, the Chargers signed Dupree to a contract extension this offseason as Jim Harbaugh seems to have a soft spot for the veteran. This is once again an example of Harbaugh prioritizing loyalty over roster building. Loyalty is great and all, but nobody is forcing the Chargers to be loyal to a lackluster edge rusher who it 10 steps slower than they used to be.
Murphy, meanwhile, will reunite with Mike Vrabel, who coached him in 2023 with the Tennessee Titans.