Following their 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions last week, Dallas Cowboys fans were not pleased with what they saw from veteran linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr.
Murray wasn’t great in the run defense department, and when he had the chance to bring down Lions star RB Jahmyr Gibbs early in the game, Gibbs made him look foolish in pass coverage. According to Pro Football Focus, the 27-year-old linebacker had a poor 31.9 overall defensive grade, along with a 28.3 grade in pass coverage.
It didn’t even matter that Murray had a 73.3 run defense grade, as the actual game told a much different story. Cowboys fans are over the Murray experience and want to see the team make a change, such as more snaps for Logan Wilson.
Wilson, whom Dallas acquired ahead of the trade deadline last month, has surprisingly been outsnapped by Murray in the Cowboys’ last three games. However, it seems as if the Cowboys are open to getting the ex-Cincinnati Bengals on the field more.
According to Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday that they may use Wilson more going forward, adding it's part of the competition with Murray.
Cowboys Seemingly Ready to Bench Kenneth Murray for Logan Wilson
As you can imagine, Cowboys fans were somewhat pleased with this news from Jones, as the Murray acquisition has been a disaster. His play, along with Jack Sanborn’s, is why Dallas went out and traded for Wilson.
Wilson wasn’t having the best year with the Bengals, but with what he’s shown in the past, he’s an upgrade over Murray. This season, Murray has performed poorly against the run (29.1 grade, ranked 87th among 87 qualified LBs) and in pass coverage (46.0 grade, ranked 68th among 87 LBs).
In fact, opponents are completing 85% of their passes towards Murray, who also has a 120.0 passer rating and has given up two touchdowns. That’s not good, and you can’t blame Dallas for finally considering going elsewhere.
If you’re Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, you already know what Murray is. You need to find out if Wilson can help elevate this unit, as he’s under contract for two more years before hitting free agency in 2028. He also has a potential out in his contract for 2026.
Now, Wilson’s PFF grades are not great this season, but after watching Murray play last week, you have nothing to lose at this point.
- Overall defense grade: 51.2
- Pass rush grade: 84.7
- Run defense grade: 59.9
- Coverage grade: 43.2
If this is the end of the road for Murray, he likely won’t be back in Dallas for 2026. The Cowboys already have their linebacker unit in place for 2026 with Wilson, DeMarvion Overshown, Marist Liufau, and rookie Shemar James.
There could have been a case made to keep him for one more year if Murray wasn’t an orange traffic cone on defense throughout this season. However, Dallas would be better off signing another vet in free agency or using the NFL draft.