The LA Chargers hosted one of the most unpopular recent members of the team in Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans. Linebacker Kenneth Murray made his return to SoFi Stadium looking to play spoiler against his former team.
Murray made a habit out of struggling with the Chargers and is one of the most disappointing first-round picks in recent Chargers history. With a strong game on Sunday, Murray could have delivered one last dagger into the heart of Chargers fans.
Instead, the former Oklahoma Sooner went the other direction. Murray turned in a performance that is all too familiar at SoFi Stadium, struggling mightily against the Chargers. Justin Herbert outright targeted Murray in the end zone for a touchdown and broke his ankles for good measure. When the dust settled, Murray posted an atrocious Pro Football Focus grade that mirrored his time in LA.
LB Kenneth Murray PFF Defense grade vs. Chargers: 39.4 pic.twitter.com/OxDOStF0bp
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) November 11, 2024
Kenneth Murray's awful PFF grade is icing on the cake for the Chargers
PFF grades are by no means the end-all, say-all when it comes to a player performance. However, when grades are on one end of the spectrum, whether it be good or bad, it is telling of how a player fared in a particular game.
Murray logged one of the lowest scores imaginable all the way down in the 30s. For comparison, not a single Chargers player logged a score in below 40 in Sunday's win with several defensive players logging scores above 70.
In fact, safety Elijah Molden, who the Titans traded to the Chargers at the start of the season, logged the best defensive grade of any Charger on Sunday. Molden nearly doubled Murray's grade at 76.8, proving the Chargers won the player swap with the Titans that occurred in the offseason.
This poor showing is nothing new for Murray. Murray's struggles have followed him to Tennessee, likely giving the Titans buyer's regret for signing the linebacker to a two-year, $15.5 million contract. This is a massive contract for someone who has not proven anything in the NFL in what is typically a dry linebacker market.
Murray is not done giving back to the Chargers, either. Because of this contract, the Chargers are projected to receive a compensatory fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. As it stands, the Chargers are projected to receive three compensatory picks; the Titans are projected to receive zero.
Kenneth Murray may have never lived up to being a first-round pick, but at least he is finally helping the Chargers five seasons later.