Eric

Murray

As expected based on earlier reporting, Washington will be scratched. He’s droppable if you have a late move you need to get in ahead of Sunday kickoff. Also inactive for the Jaguars are: S Andrew Wingard (concussion), Yasir Abdullah, OL Walker Little (concussion), TE Johnny Mundt, DL Emmanuel Ogbah and DL Austin Johnson. DL Travon Walker (knee), S Eric Murray (neck) and Arik Armstead (hand) are playing despite questionable tags in a huge game for the Jaguars.

Walker hasn’t played since Week 11, but was able to get in two limited sessions this week and appears to be trending towards a return in a must-win AFC South top-of-division showdown with the Colts. The pass rusher has had a somewhat disappointing year to this point with just 2.5 sacks in nine games. Arik Armstead (hand) and Eric Murray (neck) are also questionable for Jacksonville.

This courtesy of former Jaguars back Maurice Jones-Drew, who added that Murray will get $12 million in guarantees. Murray has spent the last five years in Houston — he was playing on the team when Bill O’Brien was still the head coach. Entering his age-31 season, this is a strong contract for a player who spent two of the last three years as a reserve. Murray saw more playing time last year as the Texans moved Jalen Pitre to nickelback, and had a playoff pick-six of Justin Herbert. Signing him seems like an admission that the Jags will move on from Andre Cisco.

Murray left the game with a knee injury early in the second quarter, was examined in the medical tent, and then was taken into the locker room. There’s no word on the specific injury or the severity of it, but the Texans calling him questionable doesn’t inspire confidence that we’ll see him back on Sunday. That could lead to more opportunities downfield for Derek Carr, Chris Olave, and the Saints passing game.

This marks the second-straight year in which Murray has restructured his deal with the Texans. Set to earn $3.75 million in base salary, the Texans are likely converting a portion of this into a bonus to free up a few million dollars in cap space. Murray is heading into his fourth season with the Texans and has appeared in 47 games for them since 2020.

Signed for $5 million in 2022, Murray now has a two-year, $10 million deal. The starter of 25 games in Houston over the past two years, Murray has experience at corner but will continue to man safety under new head coach/former DC Lovie Smith. More versatile than good, Murray is not a particular asset in any one area.

“Lonnie has position flexibility. I think it’s safe to say, we see Lonnie as a safety right now. He feels good about that. He’s got excellent size. He’s got a corner skillset, too. Really feel good about him fitting into our defense,” Smith said at his introductory press conference. The Texans drafted Johnson in 2019 to play corner but moved him to safety full-time last year. He was effective in a semi-regular role, posting 76 tackles despite playing only 64 percent of defensive snaps. With Eric Murray returning for at least another season, Johnson should continue to split playing time opposite Justin Reid.

Murray has played nearly every one of Houston’s defensive snaps this year. He hasn’t dipped below a 90 percent snap rate in a game this year and regularly goes four quarters without coming off the field. The loss of his presence over the top gives a small boost to Tee Higgins, who should get loaded with targets in Week 16. CB Anthony Chesley was elevated to the active roster in place of Murray.

Murray has started 15 games across his four NFL seasons with the Chiefs and Browns. Last year, Murray started just four games because of a knee procedure that cost him all of November. At worst, Bill O’Brien has a special teamer and depth option, but this contract indicates that the Texans’ coach/GM/mad-negotiator is expecting more from Murray.

Murray suffered an injury during Wednesday’s practice and underwent knee surgery Friday. The good news is that the procedure was deemed a success, although Murray is considered week to week and will miss Sunday’s matchup against the Broncos.