Dennard Wilson’s defensive style provides opportunity for Titans player to reach full potential

NASHVILLE - New Tennessee Titans defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson has made his intentions for his 2024 defense very clear. The Titans are going to be fast, physical, and aggressive. They are going to play downhill and put athletes in a position to succeed.

"Football, it's not about scheme. It's about the players. So we have to figure out what they do well and then we'll put the scheme around them to allow their talents to flourish," said Wilson at his introductory press conference back in February. "We're going to be an attacking defense. We're going to be violent in our approach. We're going to be smart. We're going to be intelligent. We're never going to compromise for competing. And that's the style of brand of football that we're going to play around here."

The physicality and speed that Tennessee is planning to bring on defense will be really fun to watch this season. It will also be fun to watch how it helps various players live up to their full potential. That's especially true for Titans linebacker Kenneth Murray, who was signed to a two-year, $15.5 million free agent deal this offseason to play and thrive for Dennard Wilson.

Murray is a former first round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2020 NFL Draft that was praised as a prospect for his "playmaking speed," "ridiculous range," and "willingness to take chances."

But despite all of the physical tools and some flashes of elite production, Murray never realized all of his potential with the Chargers. He had a tendency to be a coverage liability and misread running plays.

While gifted as a pass rusher and tackler, the complexities and nuances of an NFL offense have sometimes been too much for Murray to handle. He has not been effective wearing the green dot and operating as the defensive communicator, which is a desired quality in inside linebackers. That's how things were with how the Chargers used him, but that could change in Nashville.

The Titans have built an intimidating and deep defensive line that can win up front. Jeffery Simmons, Harold Landry III, T'Vondre Sweat, Arden Key, and others will be a handful for opposing offensive lines to deal with. By displacing offensive linemen in a  downhill, aggressive defense, life is going to get a lot simpler for linebackers like Murray in Tennessee. That's exactly how Dennard Wilson wants things to be: Simple.

When Murray gets moving downhill, he's an absolute beast. He's an athletic playmaker that can rack up sacks and tackles for loss. He can force offenses to make mistakes and commit turnovers. The possibilities are endless.

After all, this is a linebacker that runs more like a safety while weighing 240 pounds. He ran a 4.52 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

Before his rookie season in Los Angeles, Murray said himself on social media that he hoped to be a 1st team All-Pro linebacker and Pro Bowl linebacker someday. He hoped to make the NFL Top 100 players list. He hoped to be a Super Bowl champion.

None of those things have become reality yet. But Murray is still only 25 years old and now entering the perfect situation to reach his full potential. It's an intriguing situation to watch in 2024.

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