The Chargers traded up and selected linebacker Kenneth Murray in the first-round of this year’s draft with the hopes of him adding dynamic element to the position.
Originally, the thought was that Murray was going to overtake the WILL (weakside linebacker) spot that was played by Thomas Davis last season. But it appears that the team wants him to hone in on learning the MIKE (middle linebacker) spot before the team can move him around more.
The MIKE role has been held by Denzel Perryman for the past few years. But second-year Drue Tranquill played there in his rookie season, as well, where he excelled.
Los Angeles knows that they need to have Tranquill on the field as much as possible, which is why his primary position has been at WILL thus far at camp, and it appears that he will be the permanent starter.
Meanwhile, Murray and Perryman have been competing in training camp for the starting MIKE role.
Perryman worked with the first-team while Murray dealt with some soreness that kept him out during the first week of practices.
But Murray has been back in team drills the past two days, and during walkthrough 11-on-11s on Tuesday, Murray replaced Perryman as the MIKE linebacker with the starting defense, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper.
The team still covets Perryman for his ability against the run, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he enters Week 1 as the starting middle linebacker. But if Murray catches on quickly, he could overtake his job, especially because he has more of a complete skillset than Perryman does.
Looking towards the future, Murray and Tranquill are the future at the linebacker position. This could mark Perryman’s last year with the team, knowing he is slated to become a free agent after 2020.