Eric Murray

10 NFL seasons, 4 teams, 295 tackles — the prototypical veteran utility DB.

Murray was a 4th-round Chiefs pick in 2016. Ten seasons later, he's still starting — now in Jacksonville at age 31.

The career path: KC (3) → CLE (1) → HOU (5) → JAX (2025). The middle of the run had three quiet rotational years (2021-23 in Houston), then a complete career-reset 2024: 53 tackles, 12 PDs — his single best season at age 30. The Jaguars signed him in free agency on that resume.

12 pass defenses in 2024 — at age 30, his career season.

After three rotational years in Houston averaging 21 tackles and 1.3 PDs, Murray erupted in 2024 at age 30:

- 53 tackles (3rd-highest of career) - 12 pass defenses (career high, more than 1/3 of his career PDs) - 2 TFLs, 1.0 sack, 3 QB hits - PFF coverage grade among top-tier safeties

That single PD spike is unusual for a 9-year vet — most safeties' coverage numbers peak by age 27. Murray's late-career bloom is a real outlier and is what netted him the Jaguars deal.

Houston tenure: 161 tackles. KC + CLE + JAX combined: 134 tackles. Houston was where he became a starter.

The 5-year Houston run is the production heart of Murray's career — 161 tackles, 18 PDs, including the 2024 breakout. Before Houston he was a useful nickel/safety hybrid; in Houston he became a multi-year starter.

The 2025 Jacksonville year (34 tackles, 6 PDs in a partial role) is on pace with his post-2020 baseline — exactly what Jacksonville signed him to be.

32 career pass defenses for a 10-year vet — high-end for a journeyman safety.

Career totals across 10 seasons:

- 295 tackles - 12 TFLs - 6.0 sacks - 12 QB hits - 32 pass defenses - 3 forced fumbles - 1 fumble recovery

The 32 PDs stand out. That's an average of 3.2 per year, which is solid-starter pace for a player who's only had three true starter-volume seasons. Most journeyman safeties end up in the 15-20 PD range.

The dip years (2019, 2022, 2023) were depth-chart issues, not decline.

Three of Murray's 10 seasons came in at under 15 tackles. None of them were age-related — 2019 was a contract-year role, 2022 was post-injury, 2023 was scheme deployment.

Every time the snap share came back (2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2024, 2025), the production followed. That's a role-dependent, not skill-dependent career arc — the kind of safety teams keep around because he plays the role he's given.

In a Jaguars secondary rebuild, Murray is the elder statesman next to Tyson Campbell and Andre Cisco-era pieces.

Jacksonville's 2025 secondary is built around Tyson Campbell (CB1, 4-year vet), Montaric Brown (3-year), and a churn of young safeties. Murray, signed in March 2025, is the 9-year-experience anchor — at 31, the oldest starter in the room.

The 34 tackles and 6 PDs through 2025 on Jacksonville fit the script: stable veteran production for a unit that needed someone to set the safety calls. Not a star contract, but the kind of role-player signing that upgrades the floor of the defense without spending DT/EDGE-tier money.