Inside The Star
When I heard the Cowboys added Kenneth Murray in free agency, I thought he looked like a physical, scheme-fit at linebacker for Matt Eberflus.
When Dallas later added Logan Wilson, I thought that move signaled something different, that Wilson was viewed as the more complete, more reliable option.
From the outside looking in, it felt like Murray would eventually slide into a secondary role and Wilson would take over.
The thing is, when I compared their full-season of production instead of assuming based off what is seen in 4K, the picture changes completely.
Kenneth Murray has been the better linebacker, and he has earned the starting role.
Logan Wilson came in with the reputation of being the better coverage linebacker, but his season numbers, from Cincinnati and Dallas, aren’t adding up.
He’s allowed 202 yards, and has surrendered a 125.8 passer rating. His coverage grade is 43.2, which ranks near the bottom of the league.
Don’t get me wrong, Murray is not perfect, but he’s been steadier in this area.
He has allowed only one touchdown all season, given up fewer explosive plays, and has a 46.0 coverage grade despite more usage and a 105 passer rating.
In a zone system that punishes breakdowns, Murray has been the more dependable player.
They have both been terrible, but Murray has been better at not being as terrible.
Eberflus’ system is not great, but if its calling card is consistency and finishing tackles, Kenneth Murray has been better.
Murray has 73 total tackles and Wilson has 57 on the season and, believe it or not, Kenneth Murray has only missed eight tackles on 747 snaps with zero missed tackles in eight games, giving him a missed tackle percentage of 9.5%.
On the other hand, Logan Wilson has a missed tackle percentage of 10.2% and has made 100% of his tackles in nine games this season. Including all his games with the Cowboys.
Wilson has had more games with fewer missed tackles with the Cowboys, but overall, Murray has the advantage here.
In the run defense department, Kenneth Murray has fewer missed tackles, but Logan Wilson has been better at being where he needs to be.
I found that Wilson has a better run-defense grade of 58.1 than Murray’s abysmal grade of 29.1.
It seems as though Logan Wilson is much better at diagnosing and getting to the ball carrier while coming downhill. Kenneth Murray seems lost sometimes.
When we compare the full season stats for each player, and we remove bias, reputation, and expectations, the conclusion becomes clear:
Kenneth Murray has been the more productive and more impactful linebacker to this point, given a full body of work.
Let’s not get this wrong, Wilson is a useful piece. He is...
