Kenneth Murray Jr. has had a rocky start to his career since being selected No. 23 overall by the Chargers in 2020. Los Angeles declined his fifth-year option this spring, making him a free agent following this season.
Despite his early struggles, his teammate at linebacker thinks he’s due for a breakout season.
“Sky’s the limit,” Eric Kendricks said about Murray when asked what he thinks the fourth-year linebacker is capable of.
“I don’t think I’ve really seen a linebacker built like him and capable of doing the things he’s able to do behind the ball and also in pass rush. He’s very versatile, he can cover receivers one-to-one and he’s got that speed to go downfield with them,” Kendricks continued.
Murray’s athleticism has never been questioned since entering the league out of Oklahoma. Still, he’s often been criticized for not maximizing that athleticism with the instincts required of an impact player at linebacker. Kendricks went on to say that he thinks Murray has improved in that area.
“When it comes time for our instincts to take play, I feel like there’s very few people on the field that can match up with him.”
“He’s really a good player and he’s very smart, and I think that going forward, him being 24 years old and him having a couple of years under his belt, those years matter. He’s seen a lot of football out here in the NFL now and he recognizes things just how I recognize them. Going forward, we’re going to have to use that to our advantage,” Kendricks added.
It may only be training camp, but the fact that Murray has made this impression on a new teammate as decorated as Kendricks is something to note, at the very least.
With the former All-Pro selection mentoring him, could this finally be the year LA’s other first-round pick from 2020 puts everything together?
