Titans Get Grade For Cowboys Trade

The Tennessee Titans made a small move on the trade market in free agency, sending linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. to his home state to play for the Dallas Cowboys.

In exchange, the Titans got a sixth-round pick while also sending the Cowboys a seventh-rounder.

NFL.com writer Kevin Patra graded the transaction, giving the Cowboys a "C" while the Titans squeaked out a slightly better grade with a "C+."

"The Cowboys won't spend in free agency but were comfortable taking on a linebacker with a $7.66 million cap hit. Seems odd. Kenneth Murray Jr. is an innings eater with 67 career starts and 416 total tackles. Given the Cowboys' struggles against the run, you'd have thought players they'd chase this offseason would excel, but Murray has been below-average as a run-defender," Patra writes.

"Dallas certainly needed aid in the middle of the defense with DeMarvion Overshown's injury. On the positive side, it didn't cost much draft capital and Murray is just 26 with a lot of experience. I'd be more excited if Murray had a history with Matt Eberflus, but this is an average add.

"The low trade cost suggests that the Titans were planning on moving on from the linebacker, so kudos to the front office for getting something, even if it was just moving up 51 draft spots near the end of the selection process."

Murray signed a two-year deal with the Titans last spring in free agency and was the team's leading tackler, but Tennessee opted to go in a different direction for the 2025 season.

The Titans signed Cody Barton from the Denver Broncos in free agency to a three-year deal, and he'll be tasked with fulling Murray's shoes in the middle of the defense for coordinator Dennard Wilson.