The Houston Texans parted ways with linebacker Kenneth Murray on Thursday, releasing him from the practice squad in a corresponding transaction that brought defensive end Chris Braswell back onto the developmental roster, the team announced.
The move ends a brief and largely peripheral stint for the former first-round pick in Houston, where injuries at the position had created an opening that never fully developed into a sustained role.
Murray arrived with the Texans in mid-September after starting linebacker Henry To’oTo’o was placed on injured reserve following the season opener.
A veteran who had already logged more than 80 starts across six seasons with the Chargers, Titans, and Cowboys, he offered immediate depth while the rest of the room sorted through absences.
Elevated for the Week 4 home game against Dallas, Murray started and saw extensive snaps before exiting late to be evaluated for a concussion.
He finished with a handful of tackles in that loss and added limited production the following week in Tennessee once Pro Bowl linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair returned to the lineup.
Across those two appearances, he totaled six combined tackles, a modest output that reflected both the limited opportunities and the gradual return to health of the players ahead of him.
That progression appears to have sealed the decision.
Al-Shaair was limited early in the Week 6 preparation but returned to practice, while To’oTo’o’s 21-day window opened, signaling that the Texans expect their preferred starters to be available sooner rather than later.
With Jake Hansen already handling significant snaps alongside Al-Shaair in the Titans game, Murray’s presence on the practice squad became less essential.
The corresponding addition of Braswell, a 2024 second-round selection who had bounced between the active roster and practice squad earlier this season, simply formalized the roster math.
Murray’s career trajectory has been one of high expectations tempered by inconsistency.
Selected 23rd overall out of Oklahoma in 2020, he produced strong tackle totals in multiple seasons with the Chargers and later contributed as a full-time starter in Tennessee and Dallas, finishing with roughly 500 career tackles, 9.5 sacks, and three interceptions.
Yet coverage struggles and scheme fits have kept him from locking down a long-term starting job, leading to the journeyman path that brought him to Houston in the first place.
At 27, he remains a serviceable depth option for teams needing experienced help against the run, but the Texans’ improving health at the position left little room for him to stick.
Whether Murray lands elsewhere quickly or reappears with Houston after the London game, as one report has suggested, remains to be seen. For now, the release marks the close of a short chapter that began amid injury necessity and ended once that necessity faded.
