Chargers HC Brandon Staley acknowledges Kenneth Murray’s early-season struggles

The start of linebacker Kenneth Murray’s sophomore season has not been all sunshine and rainbows.

Expected to be a key piece in the middle of the defense, Murray has struggled to find his footing in Brandon Staley’s system.

Only a year removed from finishing with 107 tackles in his rookie campaign, Murray hasn’t looked like the same player who was consistently rallying to and making plays on the football.

While opportunities have been there, Murray’s tape has been littered with missed tackles, lack of mental processing, over-pursuing ball carriers and the inability to shed blocks or work off contact, all of which have attributed to the team’s lackluster run defense.

“I think up and down,” Staley said about Murray’s performances. “I think there have been some really good moments. And then, there have been some moments that we need to have him improve.

That’s part about seeing the game, understanding his style of play versus what’s on the other side of the football, understanding where he fits in within our defense.

He needs to improve for us just like a lot of guys. And I think that the exciting thing is that he’s such a hard worker … I think that you’re going to see him continue to improve.”

As for the rest of the group, Kyzir White has been the standout as the other starter in both pass coverage and against the run. White is greatly benefiting from Staley’s scheme that is tailor-made for his overall skillset.

Drue Tranquill, on the other hand, has only played 14 defensive snaps this season, with the majority of his playing time coming on special teams. In the small sample size, Tranquill has still made an impact, and it’s likely that he’s going to see the field more moving forward.

“Drue’s playing well,” Staley said. “We’re going to get him on the football field, that’s for sure. He played well in the Dallas game. He’s practicing great. It’s one thing I said in the preseason, I do feel like he’s a starter. We’re trying to unpack that rotation right now.”

If order to fix the issues, Murray needs to start utilizing proper eye discipline and play recognition to put himself in proper position, stay under control to avoid poor angles and overrunning plays and be more physical and quicker to avoid blockers from stringing him out of the action.