Last week, head coach Matt Eberflus mentioned guard Bill Murray as somebody who’d stood out in training camp thus far. Keep in mind he wasn’t prompted by a specific question for that. It was all him. That should tell you the kind of impression the veteran was making. Murray is a fun story. He entered the NFL as an undrafted defensive tackle. After two years, he moved to the offensive line in hopes of getting an opportunity to play. There were always small flashes of potential, but the New England Patriots never gave him a proper shot.
The Chicago Bears had kept tabs on him during that time. They decided to take a flier in January as one of their reserve future signings. Most probably felt he was nothing more than a camp body. Time has proven them incorrect. Murray has the head coach’s attention, and that seems to have only grown since the Hall of Fame game last Thursday.
“He was really good. Real aggressive. I thought his zone game, jumping to the second level was outstanding. I think his pass sets need to improve a little bit with what he did there. But overall we were pleased with him.”
This was reflected in the game tape. Murray was often a key blocker in some of the Bears’ biggest plays of the night. Keep an eye on the right guard in the video below.
The stats prove it, too. In 18 pass-blocking snaps, he didn’t allow a single pressure on the quarterback. Even crazier, 11 of those were one-on-one without any help. His run-blocking was also a big part of their success, especially once Khalil Herbert got into the game. The continued absence of Nate Davis in practice has allowed Murray to get snaps with the starting offense. That should give you an idea of how impressed the coaches have been with his progress over the past few months.
It was clear right away that Bill Murray had the toughness, aggression, and mobility to be a run blocker. Everybody knew it would come down to his progress as a pass-protector on whether he’d ever see action in the NFL. He never quite mastered it in time with New England, having not transitioned until 2022. Considering how he’s looked over the past week, his progress is nothing short of impressive. It likely won’t be enough to swipe a starting job, but his grip on a roster spot grows stronger.
