With only four games left in the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys are still trying to figure out their linebacker situation, which isn’t what most fans want to hear, as the team is hanging on by a thread for a playoff spot.
In the offseason, Dallas acquired veteran LB Kenneth Murray Jr. in a trade from the Tennessee Titans and signed Jack Sanborn to a one-year deal, hoping they could help stabilize the linebacker room until star disruptor DeMarvion Overshown returned.
However, that plan has not worked much to the surprise of no one. And Cowboys fans are ready to see Logan Wilson get some more playing time over Murray, whom the team acquired ahead of the trade deadline from the Bengals.
According to Ali Jawad of DLLS Sports, defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus laid out to reporters on Thursday what Wilson and Murray have to do to get the majority of the reps at linebacker.
"I mean, it comes down to practice, execution," Eberflus said. "You know, making plays that way. You know because, we've always said this even since I was coaching Sean [Lee] here before, your linebacker's job is to hit the ball. You are the point of attack. There is no backside for you. So to me, you should be able to have, you know, 15, 16, 18 tackles. You should make ball production. You should have caused fumbles, recovered fumbles, interceptions, you should have all those things because you're in the middle of the defense."
Logan Wilson, Kenneth Murray Have Their Work Cut Out for Them to Secure LB Job
The Cowboys' DC left no room for interpretation. He wants someone who will be a playmaker on that side of the ball, wreak havoc on the field, and always have a nose for the football. The 27-year-old Murray hasn’t had one double-digit tackle game this season, with the most tackles he had in a game coming in Week 1 against the Eagles (9) and Week 7 against the Commanders (9).
Furthermore, the veteran linebacker has four tackles for loss (second-fewest in the NFL) but no forced fumbles or interceptions. When you combine that with his struggles in the pass coverage, it opens the door for Wilson.
Wilson has appeared in the Cowboys’ last four games since joining the team at the beginning of last month. The ex-Bengals defender hasn’t made a huge impact, only recording 11 combined tackles while playing 45.4% of defensive snaps.
However, as we saw from Wilson early in his career, he found a way to create a play whether it was an interception or a forced fumble. The fact that the veteran linebacker hasn’t recorded an interception since 2023 is puzzling.
But if Wilson can rekindle that magic from a couple of years ago over these next few weeks, it could solidify his case to be a starter in 2026 and 2027. The ball is in Wilson and Murray’s courts, we’ll see who wants it more and emerges as the guy.