Tag: Caleb Murphy

Titans’ Caleb Murphy listed among UDFAs who will make the most impact

Bleacher Report recently pegged Titans OLB Caleb Murphy as one of the UDFAs who could make the most impact in 2023.

One of the pleasant surprises from the Tennessee Titans’ offseason has no doubt been undrafted free-agent signing and outside linebacker, Caleb Murphy.

The Ferris State product entered the offseason with no shortage of hype after tallying an NCAA-record 25.5 sacks in 2022 while also tying the single-season mark for tackles for loss with 39.

While those numbers are no doubt impressive no matter how they were achieved, the context to keep the hype in check was the fact that Murphy played in Division II and was set to make a massive jump to the NFL.

But Murphy responded about as well as he could have, tallying an NFL-best four sacks in three preseason games.

Even with that showing, there remained some questions about his chances of making the roster because of special teams, but Tennessee wisely overlooked that and kept him on the initial 53-man roster.

With Murphy’s spot on the roster secure for now, Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton recently pegged him as one of the UDFAs around the NFL who could make a big impact in 2023. Here’s some of Moton’s write-up:

In 2022, Key and Rashad Weaver, who logged 5.5 sacks last season, started in seven games combined. Murphy could become an effective rotational edge-rusher to round out a solid group.

With Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry and Landry drawing most of the attention at the line of scrimmage, Murphy could make game-changing plays in a designated pass-rusher role.

The Titans absolutely made the right move keeping Murphy, as you simply don’t cut a young pass-rusher who shows promise because he may not be effective on special teams.

As far as Murphy’s playing time is concerned, he’ll have a tough time seeing the field with Harold Landry, Arden Key and Rashad Weaver all ahead of him in the pecking order.

Even still, he’s an intriguing depth piece to have and the rookie will have a great opportunity to thrive when he does see the field, as there’s a slew of talented players in Tennessee’s defensive front to help make things easier.

Nobody is saying Murphy is definitely going to develop into a starting-caliber edge rusher, but the mere promise he showed made him well worth holding on to.

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Titans’ Kearis Jackson, Caleb Murphy to make 53-man roster

Titans WR Kearis Jackson and OLB Caleb Murphy have reportedly made the 53-man roster.

The Tennessee Titans have two more great stories unfolding on their initial 53-man roster, as 2023 undrafted free agents, wide receiver Kearis Jackson and outside linebacker Caleb Murphy, have both reportedly made the cut.

According to multiple reports, Jackson, a Georgia product, and Murphy, a Ferris State product, will be on the roster. This doesn’t come as a total shock, though, as both were tentatively expected to make the cut, and Murphy more so.

Jackson finished the preseason strong with a 26-yard touchdown grab off a pass from Malik Willis. He also got an extended look as a returner in that game, which was a sign Jackson was under serious consideration for that role, thus giving him another avenue to make the team.

Murphy was among Tennessee’s biggest standouts of the preseason after he notched at least one sack in each game, and four in total, which was tied for the league lead.

Even with that performance, there was some doubt about Murphy’s chances of making the cut because of special teams, but thankfully that wasn’t enough for Tennessee to pass on a promising young pass-rusher who more than earned his spot on this team.

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Titans OLB Caleb Murphy praised by NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger

Titans OLB Caleb Murphy got the “Baldy’s Breakdown” treatment recently, with analyst Brian Baldinger coming away impressed with the Ferris State product.

Tennessee Titans outside linebacker Caleb Murphy was one of the most hyped-up undrafted free agent signings of the offseason — and for good reason.

During his final collegiate campaign, Murphy set an NCAA single-season record with 25.5 sacks while also tying the NCAA record with 39 tackles for loss en route to helping Ferris State win their second consecutive Division II National Championship.

While the Ferris State standout won’t be replicating that type of production in the NFL, Murphy has at least done a fantastic job of producing a positive impact on the team throughout his first-ever training camp and preseason.

After recording three sacks over Tennessee’s first two preseason games, Murphy now appears to be on the verge of cracking the 53-man roster, especially if he can put together another impressive performance in the Titans’ upcoming preseason finale on Friday night.

Brian Baldinger, who is a former player but is best known by football fans these days for his awesome film breakdowns, appears to be a fan of the Titans’ young pass rusher after giving him the “Baldy’s Breakdown” treatment recently, where he clearly came away impressed.

The thing that really stood out to the NFL Network analyst is the fact that Murphy seemingly always has a plan of attack, instead of just freelancing like a lot of young players tend to do.

Baldy stated that he’s not exactly sure what Murphy’s role will be in 2023, but it’s rather evident that there might be something there worth developing when it comes to the Ferris State product.

You can find Baldinger’s entire breakdown below.

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Titans OLB Caleb Murphy ‘very proud’ after 2-sack game vs. Vikings

Titans OLB Caleb Murphy shined with a two-sack game versus the Vikings in preseason Week 2.

At the very least, Tennessee Titans rookie outside linebacker Caleb Murphy helped his cause in making the roster in preseason Week 2, and he may have solidified his spot altogether.

Murphy, who did a good job setting the edge and was active all night long, had a pair of sacks on Saturday night, bringing his preseason total up to a team-high three.

“Confidence level has always been high,” Murphy said, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “I pride myself on what I do, I’m here for a reason, I’ve said that over and over again. But there’s a lot of work to still be done, a lot of things to clean up but very proud of myself. Two sacks is big.”

“It’s always nice, that’s what we’re brought in to do, to sack the quarterback,” he added. “It’s a nice feeling.”

Head coach Mike Vrabel offered praise for the Ferris State product, but like Murphy he noted there are some things for the UDFA to clean up and mentioned the need to improve his awareness.

“I thought he had a good couple of days here with the exposure that he had in practice,” Vrabel said, per Paul Kuharsky. “I told him to keep that coming. There are a lot of things we need to clean up, but certainly some good pressures there by Caleb.”

“There are some awareness things that need to improve,” he added. “I think he’s shown the ability to pass rush in certain levels, to have some moves that work, reduce the surface area, a really cool rush making an inside move on a tackle.”

Murphy has shown enough on defense to help his chances, but special teams work remains important for his quest to land a roster spot. As long as he’s adequate in that area, he should have no issue making the cut.

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What Titans said about preseason Week 2 win over Vikings

What Titans head coach Mike Vrabel and Co. said about the preseason Week 2 win over the Vikings.

The Tennessee Titans no doubt had their fair share of issues on offense but were able to emerge victorious over the Minnesota Vikings, 24-16, in their first preseason win of 2023.

Titans quarterback Malik Willis wasn’t as sharp through the air as he was in preseason Week 1, but his elite athleticism and escapability was on full display throughout the contest.

Tennessee really dominated on the ground with 281 yards in total. Running backs Tyjae Spears and Julius Chestnut shined in particular, with both breaking off long runs and scoring touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, players such as cornerback Eric Garror and outside linebacker Caleb Murphy stood out, with Murphy notching a pair of sacks, giving him three through two exhibition games.

After the contest, head coach Mike Vrabel and several players met with the media to discuss what happened on Saturday night. Check out what they had to say below.

Titans training camp preview at OLB: Locks, competitions, 53-man prediction

The Titans are set to welcome back Harold Landry in 2023 after he missed all of last season with a torn ACL.

Here we are once again previewing a Tennessee Titans position ahead of training camp, which will begin next week. This time around, we’re taking a look at the outside linebacker position.

Tennessee saw a significant change at the position this offseason, with the team jettisoning Bud Dupree after a failed two-year stint in Nashville.

Replacing Dupree on the Titans’ roster is former San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars edge rusher, Arden Key, who figures to play the biggest role of his career in Tennessee.

But Key’s addition is hardly the biggest news of the offseason at outside linebacker, as Tennessee’s sack leader from 2021, Harold Landry, is set to return after missing all of last season with a torn ACL.

Beyond those two is Rashad Weaver, and after him are completely unproven players. We’ll go over everyone on the current depth chart, while also taking a look at the roster locks, competitions, and a 53-man roster projection.

Titans training camp: 1 rookie to watch at each defensive position

Shaun Calderon names one rookie to watch at each position on defense for the Titans going into training camp, a list that includes all undrafted free agents.

After going over the Titans’ offensive rookies on Monday, today we take a closer look at which defensive rookies to keep an eye on as training camp rapidly approaches.

The Titans’ defense looks very strong on paper, in particular when it comes to the top of the depth chart. Tennessee has a good mix of established playmakers and young talent all across the board.

However, to say the depth at several positions is questionable at best would be drastically underselling it.

As we noted in the offensive article earlier this week, the Titans used all of their draft picks on offense, which means this article is going to revolve around undrafted free agents who are looking to make a name for themselves.

Believe it or not, there are some very intriguing players on this list despite their status as undrafted free agents, so let’s not wait any longer and dive right into it.

Titans UDFA Caleb Murphy talks making jump from D2 to NFL

“I mean, I got the opportunity, I worked for it,” Murphy said. “So, when I got that opportunity, I knew I was supposed to be here.”

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One of the most intriguing 2023 undrafted free agent signings for the Tennessee Titans this offseason is edge rusher Caleb Murphy.

The reason behind that comes from the fact that Murphy posted an NCAA record 25.5 sacks in his senior season, although he did so at a Division II school in Ferris State.

The jump from college to the pros is a big one in and of itself for rookies, but that’s especially true for a Division II player like Murphy, who didn’t face the very best competition college football has to offer.

Murphy spoke about making the jump on Tuesday after mandatory minicamp practice.

“I just think the gameplay is a little faster, you just have to get used to that and get more comfortable with it, and I think that’s just a day-by-day thing that happens,” Murphy said, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport.

“Other than that, you’re playing guys that you played in Division II, Division III, no matter what, Division I, you’re playing football, so it’s the same thing there.”

When asked if he feels like he belongs, Murphy said the simple fact that he has gotten an NFL opportunity in the first place is evidence that he indeed does.

“I mean, I got the opportunity, I worked for it,” he said. “So, when I got that opportunity, I knew I was supposed to be here.”

During the Titans’ first mandatory minicamp practice on Tuesday, Davenport listed Murphy among the standouts on defense, noting that the Ferris State product had some good rushes during team period.

The Titans have three roster locks at outside linebacker in Harold Landry, Arden Key and Rashad Weaver, leaving at least one spot up for grabs on Tennessee’s depth chart.

Based on who he’s competing against for that spot, Murphy has a good shot to stick when the Titans finalize their 53-man roster in August.

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Caleb Murphy named Titans’ most exciting UDFA signing

Titans UDFA EDGE Caleb Murphy was named the team’s most exciting UDFA signing.

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Around this time every year, we slowly start to hear about undrafted players all around the league who are steadily increasing their chances to make their respective team’s 53-man roster.

A lot of these young players end up settling for a practice squad spot, but every now and then an undrafted rookie sneaks their way onto the Week 1 roster.

Now that we’re inching closer to mandatory minicamp in June and training camp in July, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report decided to list each team’s “most exciting” undrafted rookie signing in hopes of identifying this year’s hidden gems.

Ballentine listed Ferris State pass rusher Caleb Murphy as the Titans’ most exciting UDFA signing, stating the following regarding his decision:

The 6’3″, 254-pound pass rusher is a little undersized, but showcased some quickness in his pass rush moves at the Shrine Bowl which likely helped him land an undrafted free agent deal with the Tennessee Titans.

Murphy doesn’t have a full complement of moves in his arsenal. He’ll need to develop those if he wants to survive with his size limitations.

What’s undeniable is a motor that runs hot and his ability to find a way to get to the quarterback. There’s a lot of coaching and development that needs to happen, but landing with Mike Vrabel and his staff is a great landing spot for him.

Simply put, to say that Murphy dominated his level of competition would be a drastic understatement.

During his final collegiate campaign, Murphy set an NCAA single-season record with 25.5 sacks, while also tying the NCAA record with 39 tackles for loss, en route to Ferris State winning the D2 National Championship for the second consecutive season.

Expecting that type of production at the NFL level is wishful thinking, but the talent is obviously there, so you can’t blame the Titans if they keep him around in some capacity this fall so they can continue to develop his game.

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What draft experts said about Titans EDGE Caleb Murphy in scouting reports

Multiple experts projected Titans UDFA Caleb Murphy to be selected in the 2023 NFL draft.

If there’s one Tennessee Titans undrafted free agent signing who has caught the attention of fans and media, it’s Ferris State edge rusher, Caleb Murphy.

That attention comes from the fact that Murphy tallied an NCAA record 25.5 sacks in his final season with the Bulldogs. As a junior, he finished with 15, giving him an impressive 40.5 sacks over his final two collegiate seasons.

The knock on those numbers, of course, is that Murphy tallied them at a D2 school. However, at least he dominated that level of competition, am I right?

Nevertheless, the 6-foot-3, 254-pound EDGE enters a fairly favorable situation with the Titans, a team that needs to lock down a fourth outside linebacker outside of Harold Landry, Arden Key and Rashad Weaver.

In my way-too-early 53-man roster projection, I have Murphy grabbing that final spot at outside linebacker, but there’s a long way to go with OTAs, mandatory minicamp and training camp still to come.

In order to get more information on the Ferris State product, we’ve rounded up some scouting reports to get a feel for how experts viewed him prior to the draft. A few of them even had Murphy being drafted.