Kenneth Murray is one of the most unpopular former LA Chargers in recent history. The Chargers traded back into the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft after taking Justin Herbert to select the Oklahoma linebacker. The results were unequivocally bad.
Murray just never stuck in Los Angeles. He struggled as a middle linebacker, he struggled on the edge, he struggled in the passing game and he struggled against the run. Murray wasn't just not living up to his first-round moniker, he was actively hurting the Chargers.
Now on the Dallas Cowboys, Murray is finding new life on a team that often overrates its own players. It appears the Cowboys are falling for the same Murray trap the Chargers did as the former first-round pick is one of two starting linebackers during OTAs. Not only that, but reporters are raving about Murray "looking the part".
Kenneth Murray is tricking the Cowboys just like he did the Chargers
We'll give it to Murray; he is an excellent practice player and it is really easy to look at his intangibles and sell yourself on his ceiling. Murray is as athletic as it comes at the linebacker position and his hard-hitting nature should translate to productive play.
It doesn't. The Chargers learned that their four-year relationship with Murray and the Tennessee Titans learned the exact same lesson last year.
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Tennessee signed Murray to a sizeable two-year contract (despite his struggles) that actually netted the Chargers a compensatory pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Murray put together yet another disappointing season, prompting the Titans to trade him to Dallas for pennies.
Now he finds himself where the spotlight is the brightest and while it looks good now in practice, Chargers fans know it won't translate in the big moments. They've seen it too many times.
After seeing Murray on the opposite sideline last season, Chargers fans will once again get a chance to root against him in 2025. The Chargers play the Cowboys in Week 16 and will look to expose Murray in the same way the team did when it played the Titans last year.
That's assuming he is starting that late in the season, of course. History tells us the Cowboys will learn the exact same lesson the Chargers (and Titans) learned during their experience with Kenneth Murray.