There might not have been many Patriots fans that knew the name Marques Murrell before Thursday nights preseason with the Saints. Last season, the 25-year old linebacker sat on the bench for the New York Jets. But in the exhibition opener, he started at OLB for the Patriots. In his New England debut, he had a sack and two tackles.
To sack and pressure Drew Brees is not an easy feat to accomplish, but according to Ian Rappaport, Murrell had been watching film on his Thursday night opponent.
“I just knew I needed to get on the edge to get to the quarterback as fast as I could,” said Murrell, the former Jets special teamer who had two tackles. “I just hit him with a move up front and tried to cut the corner. And there was Brees.”
The Patriots depth at outside linebacker is weak at this point. If Murrell turns out to be a diamond in the rough for the Patriots, that could help expedite the progression of the young defense.
It is only one game for Marques Murrell in a Patriots jersey, and thus too early to determine if his play against the Saints was an aberration or a trend. Regardless, Marquess Murrell is a player to keep an eye on as the preseason continues.