Titans Have New 'Bulldog' Leader on Defense

The Tennessee Titans have a new leader on the defensive side of the ball.

Oct 29, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. (9) enters the field before the game against the Chicago Bears at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Tennessee Titans have a lot of new faces on the defensive side of the ball this season both on and off the field.

Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson came over from the Baltimore Ravens and he has a new-look squad capable of making some noise. Among those players is linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr., who has big shoes to fill after the departure of lead tackler Azeez Al-Shaair, who signed with the AFC South rival Houston Texans in free agency.

Murray, a former first-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2020 NFL Draft, is already earning the respect of his teammates.

“He flies around," cornerback L'Jarius Sneed said via Titans insider Paul Kuharsky. "He’s like a bulldog in the middle of the field. He’s going from sideline to sideline. He’s our leader.”

Murray, 25, notched 107 tackles in 2023 for the Chargers, which tied a career-high that he set in his rookie year. He also recorded three sacks, which was the most in a single season of his career.

Murray doesn't have the same kind of statistical success that Al-Shaair had while he was in Tennessee, but he can still be a quality linebacker for the Titans. Murray believes that the change of scenery and coaching will give him a chance to be more powerful and dynamic.

"I just think scheme wise, it's different compared to what I've been asked to do in the past. In the past, it was more of a stack-and-track fallback type of deal. We weren't based on pressure. I feel like in Dennard's scheme, he wants to be aggressive [with his] blitzing packages. It's just a different type of scheme," Murray said via Broadway Sports Media reporter Easton Freeze.

Murray is growing towards an understanding of the new scheme as he looks to lead the Titans defense into battle for the upcoming season. The more comfortable he becomes, the more likely the Titans defense will succeed.

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