Undrafted linebacker goes from Amazon employee to member of Steelers in 24-hour whirlwind

Tyler Murray had a pretty good reason to punch out early during his recent work shift. Murray, an undrafted rookie linebacker who recently spent time on the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad, was working a shift at Amazon on Tuesday when the Pittsburgh Steelers came calling. 

Well, it was actually Murray’s agent who called to inform him the Steelers were looking for him to help replenish a depleted inside linebacker corps. 

“I was working at Amazon … and my agent called me and said, ‘We’ve got a workout for you with the Steelers,'” Murray said Wednesday morning, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “And I’m like, ‘Aw man,’ so I had to tell my boss, ‘Hey I am going to have to leave work early today.’

“And they were cool with it. So, next thing you know I was getting a flight up here around 7, so I made it and now they just decided to sign me, so I wanted to say it’s just a blessing. I am so happy to be here.”  

Murray’s road to Pittsburgh was a winding one. Initially recruited to play cornerback, Murray started his college career at Troy before transferring to Charlotte (where he was briefly teammates with Steelers starting outside linebacker Alex Highsmith) before finishing up at Memphis last fall. 

His versatility is probably one of the things that compelled the Steelers to sign Murray. He checks in at 6-foot-1 and 227 pounds and played safety at Troy, where he recorded three picks during his second and final season with the team. During his first season at linebacker (at Charlotte in 2020), Murray filled the stat sheet with two interceptions, a fumble recovery and forced fumble, and 48 tackles in just six games. 

Murray finished his college career with two solid seasons while playing linebacker. Last fall, he tallied 67 tackles, two interceptions, two passes defensed and six tackles for loss. 

While he wasn’t much of a pass rusher in college (Murray’s 1.5 sacks in…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/undrafted-linebacker-goes-from-amazon-employee-to-member-of-steelers-in-24-hour-whirlwind/

Author : Bryan DeArdo

Publish date : 2023-11-17 00:38:10

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