Red Murdock arrived in Denver as Mr. Irrelevant, but he’s already making a case that he belongs in the conversation. The Broncos rookie linebacker put together another active preseason outing in the team’s 33-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers, finishing with seven tackles while playing 47 snaps.
That followed his NFL debut against Atlanta, when he logged eight tackles. For a player still in the middle of a crash course on NFL linebacking, that kind of workload stands out. It also caught the attention of defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who liked what he saw from Murdock handling the mental side of the job.
“I thought Red did a great job of controlling the huddle, making the calls and making the checks,” Joseph said this week in a piece written by Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post. “That’s his strength, man, he’s super smart.
I want him to turn it loose more often than not. … Things move and we’re in the right fronts and the right coverages.
That’s his strength right now and the play-making will come with time.”
Joseph said fans should expect “you’ll see more play-making from Red,” and Murdock’s path to a roster spot is becoming clearer. He’s competing for a role behind starting inside linebackers Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton, while also battling rookie Taurean York and undrafted free agents Karene Reid and Jordan Turner. Levelle Bailey was also lost with a fracture in his lower leg in Friday’s loss, which only tightens the competition.
The communication piece has become part of the early learning curve for the whole group, Joseph said, and Murdock and York have already spent plenty of time working together. Their connection goes back to the Shrine Bowl in January.
“Shrine Bowl, I was in a boot and we were still collaborating together,” Murdock told The Post earlier this month. “Trying to see certain things and helping him make plays in practice and stuff like that, because I wasn’t able to play. But now, we’re two guys that love ball.”
Murdock’s approach has matched the way he’s been described since entering the league: relentless, detail-oriented, and always working. He said he isn’t spending much time worrying about how the numbers will shake out in the end.
“I can go to sleep peacefully knowing I gave it my all, we all gave it our all, and the Broncos are getting the best linebackers they can get,” he said. “Also, all of us emptying the tank pushes each other to be better. Anybody slacking, anybody going through the motions, it’s going to be so evident on tape, the way that we play football here in Denver.
“You can’t be slacking at all. Every rep is very intentional, from physical intensity to mental.”
Joseph, meanwhile, has seen enough of Murdock’s background to know why the Broncos like him. He said the team’s evaluation started with the linebacker’s college film and draft work, where Murdock showed a knack for finding the football and forcing turnovers.
“It’s his college tape. It’s the draft eval,” Joseph said.
“He was a smart football player that punched the ball out a lot and we’ve seen that in practice. To be a Mike ’backer in this league, it’s more than the physical traits.
It’s your mind. That part he has.
“Now we have to use his mind to make more plays.”
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