The Tennessee Titans had a fantastic offseason in the talent acquisition department. General manager Ran Carthon seemingly accelerated the rebuild by adding big names to the roster like Calvin Ridley, Lloyd Cushenberry, L'Jarius Sneed, Tyler Boyd, and Chidobe Awuzie.
It wasn't just a top-heavy class of free agents either. You could stretch that list out with other names like J.C. Latham and Tony Pollard, who are all set to make a big impact on this roster throughout 2024.
Not every move Carthon made garnered excitement like those aforemetioned ones. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone that was excited by Carthon's decision to sign linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. to a two-year contract.
Murray was the one free agent deal this offseason that most fans agreed didn't solve any of the team's problems. It wasn't just Titans fans who thought that. Bleacher Report called it one of the worst free-agent signings of the offseason.
It didn't help that Murray missed time during OTAs and minicamp. Fans started to imagine what life would look like with guys like Jack Gibbens, Otis Reese IV, and Cedric Gray playing at inside linebacker without a real difference-maker in the mix.
Fortunately, this looks like a situation where Carthon and the coaching staff might have been smarter than the consensus opinion.
I attended the open practice on Saturday and it didn't take long before you could hear fans murmuring to check the roster to see who No. 56 (Murray) was. In his most recent article on practice observations, Jim Wyatt confirmed that this wasn't a one-time thing:
"Linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. had another impactful day rushing the passer, and in coverage and run support. Murray broke up one pass intended for Pollard. He's been very noticeable in camp."
While the offense hummed in the first half of practice, things were mixed during the team portion, and then it was utter domination by the defense during the last period.
That situational period was there to simulate third-and-6 situations. The defense played like their hair was on fire. In those situations, Murray was one of a few Titans defenders who looked like they were attacking the offense from the off-balll linebacker in ways we haven't seen since David Long's peak with the team.
Whether he was peeling off in coverage to knock down a pass, slashing through the offensive line before they could reach him, or defeating blocks as a pass rusher, Murray played like the guy that the L.A. Chargers thought they were getting when they drafted him in the first round.
Jeffery Simmons and T'Vondre Sweat stand out with their size and they are going to be hard to run the ball against successfully, but watch out for the second-level defenders this season. That group, spearheaded by Murray, looks to be out to prove that they deserve to be taken just as seriously as that defensive line or the vaunted secondary.