Kenneth Murray's tenure with the LA Chargers has not exactly gone as planned thus far. The Chargers traded both the team's second and third-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft to move back into the first round to take the Oklahoma linebacker.
There was a lot of hype around Murray entering the league. Murray endured some speedbumps in his rookie season but that was to be expected out of a young linebacker. However, the speedbumps have continued well into his fourth season, which is part of the reason why the Chargers declined his fifth-year rookie option.
Murray was getting rave reviews during training camp with many Chargers fans hoping that he would experience a breakout in his contract year like Drue Tranquill and Kyzir White. And while it is still very early in the season, those hopes instantly went away after Week 1 when Murray was one of the worst players on the field. There was some really bad tape from the Week 1 loss.
Despite this, Chargers head coach Brandon Staley went to bat for Murray after the loss and sang his praises as if he just put together a great game. This has left every Chargers fan a bit perplexed, and pretty outraged at the blind faith.
Do you guys agree with Staley about how Kenneth Murray played ?🤣 pic.twitter.com/ALudCG8jYF
— Deonte (@BoltupDeonte619) September 14, 2023
Chargers fans are outraged with Brandon Staley's blind faith in Kenneth Murray
If Staley actually believes that it was a winning performance for Murray on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins then there is a big problem. Murray wasn't the only one who turned in a bad game, but to praise how well he played when he was one of the biggest issues for a defense that just let up over 500 yards is silly.
Staley is not going to come out to the media and absolutely hang his guy out to dry, fans should understand that. But he has not shied away in the past from saying when players could have been better. Heck, Staley just did so with J.C. Jackson after Week 1.
Staley is already on very thin ice with a fanbase that is unhappy with a defensive head coach piloting one of the worst defenses in the sport. Him going to bat and (potentially) continuing to rely on someone who has consistently underperformed in the powder blue is not going to help his cause.
Perhaps it was just one bad game and there is something there that Chargers fans don't see. It is unlikely but that is what fans should be hoping for as it does not seem like Staley will be going away from Murray anytime soon.