Liam Coen details Eric Murray's impact at safety position for Jaguars
· Yahoo Sports
Patrolling the back end of the Jacksonville Jaguars' secondary is safety Eric Murray, whose presence provides a stabilizing presence among the defensive backs.
"Huge,' Coen said of having Murray's experience on defense. "It allows us to be able to move Antonio around and that in the back end we've got consistency. A guy that's going to come down and make plays in the run game, get us in the right checks and balances in the back end from a coverage standpoint. Eric plays the game nasty. He plays this game violently. He's made some plays on the ball."
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The Jaguars signed Murray last offseason to a free agent deal. He would go on to appear in 12 games, missing some time with an injury, logging 60 total tackles, along with one interception and four pass breakups, according to PFF.
But as Coen mentions, Murray's impact goes beyond his production in coverage. He's a willing run defender, brings a physical presence to the position, and an important job of the free safety is communicating assignments and pre-snap adjustments.
"He understands how to practice," Coen added. "He's just not a guy who's going to be able to go make a play on the ball without running through the receiver and just pros know how to stay off the ground. Pros know how to understand angles in practice to tag off and not hit people. He's just a pros pro and I really think if he can continue to stay healthy, we're going to see a better player this year out of Eric."
Murray will again be a mainstay in the Jaguars' secondary this season and paired with him will be Antonio Johnson. With Murray's consistency on the back end, that frees up the Jaguars to move Johnson around as needed.
Caleb Ransaw, Jalen Huskey, and Rayuan Lane could all be vying for snaps as the Jaguars' third safety, a position that sees its share of playing time in Anthony Campanile's defense.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Coen on importance of having Eric Murray at safety position for Jaguars