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The New York Jets could pursue a surprising new positional group ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, October 31.
Rich Cimini of ESPN revealed the area the green and white need to address on the “Flight Deck Podcast.”
“One thing no one is really talking about, they need some help for depth reasons at linebacker. Kenneth Murray from the LA Chargers, a 2020 first round pick, has kind of fallen by the wayside there. Perhaps the Chargers looking to move him. Maybe the Jets try to address a depth issue there.”
Murray Is an Intriguing Player for the Jets to Consider
Murray is only 24 years of age, but he will turn 25 before the end of the 2023 regular season. He originally entered the league as the No. 23 overall pick in the first round in 2020.
The former Oklahoma product is in the midst of his fourth professional season with the Los Angeles Chargers. During that span of time, Murray has appeared in 50 games and has made 44 starts.
This season to date, Murray has played 98 percent of the defensive snaps which is a new career high. Murray’s 2023 Pro Football Focus grades this season are very meh. He has a 56.2 overall, 51.3 run defense, 66.8 pass rush, and a 59.2 coverage.
Murray has been all over the stat sheet with 43 total tackles, two sacks, an interception, two pass deflections, and six tackles for loss.
Back in April, the Chargers’ brass declined the fifth-year option on Murray’s rookie contract. That means Murray is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2024. He is counting $4.1 million against the cap in 2023.
This Jets-Chargers Trade Would Help Prepare for Worst Case Scenario
Rich Cimini of ESPN shared on his podcast that the Jets front office really likes where their roster is at but admittingly could use a few tweaks.
A potential trade for Murray wouldn’t be about acquiring a starter, but rather some injury insurance.
CJ Mosley and Quincy Williams have been one of, if not the best linebacker duo in the NFL during the 2023 season.
NFL’s Next Gen Stats revealed who the top-five off-ball linebackers in football are through the first six weeks of the season. Two of those five names were members of the Jets and they’re the only NFL team that can claim that fun fact.
Both players have appeared in every game this season. Mosley has appeared in 100 percent of the defensive snaps and Williams is at a very respectable 97 percent. Both are playing well and have been incredibly healthy.
However, if either of them was to go down in either the short or long term, the Jets would be in a pickle.
Technically speaking the Jets have eight linebackers listed on its 53-man roster. However, that isn’t as accurate as it appears. Two of them eight are pass rushing specialists, not true inside linebackers.
The other depth options on the team are either young or inexperienced. Murray would provide a player that has a ton of game reps and still has a ton of potential considering his age and talent level.
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