The LA Chargers have had some big misses in the NFL Draft in recent years but no miss was worse than 2020 first-round pick, Kenneth Murray. In the same round, the Chargers drafted Justin Herbert, the Chargers traded a second and third-round pick to move up and take Murray with the 23rd pick.
Murray never quite panned out on the Chargers and was consistently one of the worst linebackers in the league during his tenure. Los Angeles opted against signing him with a fifth-year rookie option, instead allowing him to sign a bloated two-year deal with the Tennessee Titans.
Murray's struggles continued in Tennessee as Titans fans quickly grew sick of him, just like Chargers fans did. Now it's Cowboys fans' turn to get the full Murray experience as Dallas is trading a late-round pick swap to the Titans for the former first-round pick.
Former Chargers LB Kenneth Murray gets yet another chance, this time with the Cowboys
It's never a good sign when the team who drafted a player in the first round has absolutely no interest in bringing them back, or the team who signed said player the following year is willing to give him away for absolutely nothing.
Somehow Dallas is ignoring these red flags and is opting to take on the Murray experience at full speed. The draft capital the team is trading won't really make a difference but Dallas is still going to absorb a cap hit of over $7 million for a player who, quite frankly, shouldn't start.
America's Team has a spending problem as is, making this expenditure even worse in hindsight. It's hard to pinpoint the Cowboys' thought process when they are cheap for good players but spend on mediocre players.
Alas, the Chargers have completely fixed the linebacker position just one year after Murray left the team. Daiyan Henley was a breakout star for the Bolts in his sophomore season while Junior Colson has the potential to do the same in his second year.
The Chargers also brought back veteran linebacker Denzel Perryman on a one-year deal and special teams standout Troy Dye on a two-year deal. Even Dye, who is better than Murray as the Chargers' LB4, is making significantly less than Murray is making in 2025.
Maybe it works out for the Cowboys and Matt Eberflus somehow unlocks something that the Chargers and Titans couldn't unlock. Chances are, though, Cowboys fans will feel the exact same way about Murray as Chargers fans and Titans fans.