Your Los Angeles Cahrgers are not precisely where they want to be right now. They sit at 2-4 and are coming off brutal losses to two potential Super Bowl contenders.
The Chargers look more like pretenders than contenders through seven weeks and right now, it's hard to tell if they could be any more than that. The team has all the pieces on paper, but things are translating onto the gridiron.
Some current Bolts aren't living up to expectations, while others are playing above and beyond, doing their part to keep the team in games. One player certainly doing so is their young linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. Murray is having a breakout season, and with free agency looming,m he could be In for a big payday.
The 24-year-old has been a revelation for the Chargers with his standout play and growth from one season to the next. Although he has been one of LA's best defenders, NFL insiders believe there is a shot he could be dealt by the upcoming NFL trade deadline.
The Chargers declined Murray’s fifth-year rookie option in April, making him a free agent after this season. Murray is just 24 years old, and although he has struggled over his first four seasons, he has shown promise this season. Coach Brandon Staley called Murray’s Week 3 performance against the Vikings, when he had a sack and 10 tackles, his “best game since I’ve been the coach.” Murray has averaged 65.7 defensive snaps per game this season, and he has 43 total tackles.If Murray is moved, the Chargers would likely turn to Nick Niemann, who fared well in two starts this season while Eric Kendricks was out because of a hamstring injury. There’s also the team’s third-round pick this year, Daiyan Henley, who has played primarily on special teams.
Granted, Murray has been underwhelming the past two seasons after recording 107 combo tackles in his rookie season. He's digressed after his first year, and coming into his fourth year, LA didn't think he was worth of the fifth-year option.
Clearly, he's proved the team wrong and is showing up and showing out for the team. He currently has 43 combo tackles, six tackles for loss, already one shy last season, and two QB hits.
The Chargers could sell him for high and get rid of a player they didn't want in their long-term future, per se, or maybe they will ride him out and possibly sign him as a free agent this off-season.
LA should hang on to him; the Chargers need all they can get on defense, and to turn things around, they'll need Murray to continue doing his part and ball out for the Bolts.
Still, with this going around, it'll be interesting to see how the Chargers will approach free agency. This upcoming game could tell us a lot.
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