Kenneth Murray Jr.

PRO: The Titans signed Kenneth Murray Jr. as an unrestricted free agent early in the 2024 offseason to bring speed, toughness and experience to the inside linebacker position. The 6-foot-2-inch, 241-pounder is a sideline-to-sideline defender with an uncanny knack for finding the ball carrier. The University of Oklahoma product entered the NFL as a first-round pick of the L.A. Chargers in 2020. He spent his first four seasons with the club, appearing in 59 games with 53 starts while amassing 321 tackles, five sacks, two interceptions, 21 stops for loss, 33 quarterback pressures, 10 passes defensed and a forced fumble.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
• In 2023, Murray tied a career-best with 107 tackles to go along with a career-high three sacks.
• In 2020, Murray was named to the PFWA all-rookie team after leading the Chargers with a franchise rookie record 107 tackles, which was the second highest rookie total in the NFL.

TITANS TIDBITS:
• Murray's family adopted three special needs children when he was 10 years old, and he has used his love for them and his family to motivate his success on the gridiron.
• In the summer of 2019, Murray performed CPR to revive an unresponsive woman on a street corner in Norman, Okla.
• In 2017, Murray became the first true freshman to start a season opener at inside linebacker for the Oklahoma Sooners since 1975.

CAREER TRANSACTIONS:
• The Missouri City, Texas, native was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the first round (23rd overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft.
• Signed by the Titans as an unrestricted free agent on March 14, 2024.

SEASON RECAPS:
2023 (15/15 - L.A. Chargers): Started 15 games at linebacker and totaled 107 tackles, seven stops for loss, three sacks, an interception and three passes defensed. Was inactive for the final two regular season contests.
• At Tennessee (9/17), secured 10 tackles, including a sack of Ryan Tannehill. On a fourth-down pass attempt on Tennessee's opening drive of the game, blitzed up the middle and dropped Tannehill for a loss of six yards. Supplied an additional tackle for loss, which occured on a fourth-quarter run stop of Derrick Henry for a loss of three yards.
• At Minnesota (9/24), posted a team-high nine tackles in the winning effort, including one tackle for loss, as well as an interception. Thwarted Minnesota's late-game effort with a game-sealing interception of Kirk Cousins at the goal line with seven seconds remaining in regulation.
• Against Dallas (10/16), led the defense with nine tackles, including a stop for loss, in the Monday Night Football matchup. Stopped Tony Pollard for a loss of two yards late in the second quarter.
• At Kansas City (10/22), totaled eight tackles, including a nine-yard sack of Patrick Mahomes on third down in the third quarter.
• At Green Bay (11/19), led the defense with 10 tackles, his second 10-plus tackle outing of the season. Contributed to a defense that finished the game with seven tackles for loss.
• Against Denver (12/10), led the defense with a season-high 12 tackles, adding a sack. Dropped Russell Wilson on third down in the second quarter, collecting his third sack of the season.

2022 (17/16, 1/1 - L.A. Chargers): Appeared in all 17 games with 16 starts at linebacker and posted 76 tackles, including a sack, an interception, seven stops for loss, three passes defensed and a forced fumble.
• At Houston (10/2), started at linebacker and tallied five tackles. Helped the Chargers defense limit the Texans to seven points in the first half, the fewest allowed by the defense in the first half since the beginning of the 2021 season.
• Against Seattle (10/23), recorded five tackles and tallied his first career interception, coming off of a deflection from Asante Samuel Jr.
• At Las Vegas (12/4), totaled three tackles and his first career forced fumble, jarring the ball loose from Josh Jacobs.
• Against Tennessee (12/18), recorded seven tackles, a stop for loss and a pass defensed. Supported a defense that allowed just one third-down conversion in the first three quarters and didn't allow a point in the first quarter for the third-straight week.
• At Indianapolis (12/26), posted six tackles and a sack for eight yards.
• At Jacksonville (1/14), tallied eight tackles and a half sack with Sebastian Joseph-Day.

2021 (11/6 - L.A. Chargers): Appeared in 11 games with six starts and totaled 31 tackles, two of which registered as tackles for loss. Placed on injured reserve on Oct. 4 and missed five contests before being designated to return on Nov. 13. Spent one game on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
• At Washington (9/12), secured a team-high nine tackles in the season opener and helped anchor a defensive unit that held Washington to just 133 yards passing.
• At Kansas City (9/26): started at linebakcer and notched three tackles, while helping anchor a defensive unit that held Patrick Mahomes to 5.9 yards per attempt, the third-lowest output of his career, as the unit forced four Chiefs turnovers, the most takeaways by the Chargers in a single game since 2018.

2020 (16/16 - L.A. Chargers): Started all 16 games at middle linebacker as a rookie and led the Chargers with 107 total tackles, the most by a rookie in franchise history. Finished second among all rookies in the NFL with his 107 total tackles, as his 68 solo tackles also were the second-most among rookies in 2020. Selected to the Professional Football Writers of America All-Rookie team.
• At Cincinnati (9/13), made his NFL debut and posted eight tackles, including three stops on a critical fourth quarter drive to thwart a Bengals comeback attempt.
• Against Kansas City (9/20), logged 10 total tackles in an overtime matchup against the reigning Super Bowl champions. Recorded his first career pass defensed on the final drive of regulation, batting a ball away from Tyreek Hill to force the incompletion.
• Against N.Y. Jets (11/22), amassed seven total tackles to help the Chargers defense limit the Jets, securing the team's third win of the season.
• Against New England (12/6), led the Chargers with a career-high 14 total tackles. Recorded the first sack of his career, dropping Cam Newton for a loss of four yards in the second quarter. Two of his 14 total tackles resulted in a loss of yardage, marking a career and season-best mark of two tackles for loss.

COLLEGE:
• Started all 42 games during his three-year career at Oklahoma and registered 335 tackles and 37 tackles for loss. Tied for 11th in school history in career tackles (ninth among linebackers) and ranked eighth among Sooners linebackers with 9.5 career sacks.
• As a junior (2019), selected Associated Press first-team All-Big 12 and first-team All-Big 12 from the conference coaches. Named Associated Press third-team All-America after registering 102 tackles, four sacks, 17 tackles for loss and four passes defensed.
• As a sophomore (2018), named Associated Press second-team All-Big 12 and second-team All-Big 12 from the conference coaches after posting 155 stops, the most tackles by a Sooner since 2007. Added 4.5 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, a pair of pass breakups and a fumble recovery.
• As a true freshman (2017), started all 14 games and recorded 78 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Earned co-Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and honorable mention All-Big 12 by the conference coaches. Selected to the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America team and USA Today Freshman All-America.
• Earned a degree in communications from Oklahoma in December 2019.

PERSONAL:
• Attended Elkins (Missouri City, Texas) High School and was ranked as the No. 34 player in Texas by Rivals.
• As a senior, recorded 104 tackles, four sacks, six passes defensed and a forced fumble.
• Also lettered in track & field. Ran the 100-meter dash, the 4x100-meter relay and the 4x200-meter relay.
• Follow Murray on X at @KennethMurray.
• Follow Murray on Instagram at @kmurr9y_.
• Born Kenneth Rogers Murray Jr. on Nov. 16, 1998 in Houston, Texas.