The Dallas Cowboys were in a really tough spot this offseason when it came to their linebacker situation. DeMarvion Overshown was coming off a multi-ligament knee tear and was set to miss most of the season. Eric Kendricks was a free agent, and Marist Liufau didn’t show much during his rookie season.
But rather than developing the younger players on the roster, the Cowboys opted to acquire veterans to solidify the position. And that proved to be a costly mistake. Jack Sanborn injured his groin and never returned to the field. But that move wasn’t as detrimental as the decision to acquire Kenneth Murray and his big contract during free agency.
Kenneth Murray will play his final snaps for Cowboys in Week 18
The Cowboys were hopeful that Murray would turn his career around in Dallas under Matt Eberflus, who has a strong track record of developing linebackers in his past. Murray was a first-round pick by the Chargers during the 2020 draft, but they decided not to exercise his fifth-year option, and he signed with the Titans in free agency.
But after just one year in Tennessee, the Titans gave him away to the Cowboys for a late-round pick. However, Dallas was forced to pick up his salary, and that has proven to be a mistake. Murray has played in all 16 games this season and has played 83 percent of the defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Reference. Unfortunately, he’s been one of the bigger issues on defense and a reason why they’ve had so many breakdowns in the run game.
While grades from Pro Football Focus aren’t the end-all, be-all for players, they can be telling. Murray has a grade of 40.1, which is the third lowest in the NFL among all linebackers with at least 800 snaps. He is the site's lowest-graded run defender (32.9) by a good margin, and the only other players listed near him are Day 3 rookies who are part-time players in the league.
READ MORE: Matt Eberflus digs his own grave with snarky Jerry Jones dig over Micah Parsons
But this isn’t a fluke season for Murray. In his six seasons in the NFL, he’s never had a season with a grade above 55 (60 is considered average by PFF). This is the fourth time in his career that he’s ranked outside of the top 70 linebackers in the NFL, and the third time he hasn’t cracked the top 80.
This doesn’t mean that Murray’s career is over because there is still a need for healthy linebackers and to his credit, he doesn’t miss a lot of time. Murray has played at least 700 snaps in five of his six seasons in the NFL and that is tough to do. But with his contract set to expire after Week 18, there is no chance the Cowboys bring him back in 2026.
Murray is a favorite of Matt Eberflus, who is likely to be replaced early in the offseason. And the Cowboys are expected to completely rebuild the defense in free agency and the draft. Murray has been a stopgap option for Dallas this season, but given his salary and play, that move is likely one the front office regrets.
It only cost them $5 million in cap space, but these are the types of moves the Cowboys need to improve on if they want to become a contender in the upcoming seasons.