Dallas Cowboys owner and de facto general manager Jerry Jones invested heavily in addressing the team's defensive woes at the NFL's 2025 trade deadline. The addition of star interior lineman Quinnen Williams has rightfully caught everyone's attention, but the acquisition of linebacker Logan Wilson kicked things off.
Wilson's arrival in Dallas marked more than just much-needed reinforcements -- it was also the clearest indictment of his new positional mate, Kenneth Murray Jr.
Murray hasn't provided the boost Dallas hoped for when landing him in a deal with the Tennessee Titans this past offseason, to say the least. That was always within the range of outcomes, considering he was part of a late-round pick swap. However, Jones all but admitted failure on this move by bringing in Wilson less than eight later.
Kenneth Murray Jr. trade continues to age poorly for Jerry Jones' Cowboys
Through 12 games and starts with the Cowboys, Murray has amassed 70 tackles (four for loss), two pass deflections, one fumble recovery, and a sack. Nevertheless, the raw box score numbers don't paint a complete picture, with other metrics indicating he's been more of a liability than a positive contributor.
Out of 83 qualified linebackers, Murray's 41.0 overall Pro Football Focus grade ranks 79th, and his 28.9 run-defense score is dead last. He's been average as a pass rusher and in coverage, though wrapping up opponents has been an issue at times, demonstrated by eight missed tackles.
Dallas hasn't had much choice but to keep rolling Murray out there because of a lack of better alternatives behind him. Yet, recent reinforcements have put him on the back burner, a trend that figures to continue moving forward.
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Between Wilson and DeMarvion Overshown returning from tearing the ACL, MCL and PCL in his right knee, the Cowboys suddenly have options. Murray has been getting phased out accordingly, suggesting Dallas has been waiting for an opportunity to save Jones from this experiment gone wrong, but not fast enough to satisfy the fan base.
Despite still leading all Cowboys linebackers in snaps (39) in their thrilling 24-21 comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Murray's usage was significantly reduced. He logged 61.9 and 43.3 percent defensive snap rates over the past two contests, a stark contrast from his literal every-down role before Dallas' bye.
In the Cowboys' massive win over the Chiefs, Overshown (45 snaps) overtook Murray (36 snaps) for the lead. Wilson followed closely behind with 30 snaps. That seems to be the pecking order for now, even though Murray should be a distant third.