Jaguars HC just explained what makes Eric Murray such a force on defense

The Jacksonville Jaguars made an attempt to bolster every position group in the offseason. At safety, they signed Eric Murray in free agency. At the time, the move raised eyebrows because he wasn't much of a ballhawk in his previous stops. However, it took the tenth-year veteran just one game to validate the Jags' trust.

Murray registered two passes defensed against the Carolina Panthers in the opener. One of them led to the interception linebacker Foyesade Oluokun reeled in. On top of that, he posted a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 84.0, the fourth-highest mark among Jacksonville defenders in the game.

Jaguars HC Liam Coen praises Eric Murray's preparation

Liam Coen met with the local media before the Bengals game and praised Murray, pointing out that his preparation puts him in a position to succeed.

"Eric's a guy that when he speaks, it means something," Coen told the press corps (0:28 mark). "He knows how to talk to everybody like, all walks of life, he can communicate with. He's not necessarily an overly chatty person, so when he does have comments and has points to make, I think most people really pay attention."

Coen continued, "He's been very diligent about his preparation and ownership of the back end in terms of communication. He played physical and opportunistic as well. A couple things he gotta clean up, but been very pleased with Eric.

The Jaguars gave Murray a three-year deal worth $19.5 million to start at one safety spot after letting Andre Cisco walk in free agency.

A fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft by the Kansas City Chiefs, Murray also suited up for the Cleveland Browns and the Houston Texans before landing in Jacksonville. He has three career interceptions and two forced fumbles.

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Eric Murray has quickly become a force for the Jaguars

Ahead of the regular season, safety was routinely seen as a question mark for the Jaguars because they seemingly didn't do enough to address it. Eric Murray has quickly alleviated those concerns. It's helped that Andrew Wingard has come through. He wasn't nearly as dominant in the opener but still held his own.

Fast forward to Week 2, and safety may not be necessarily a strength, but it isn't a weakness either. Behind Wingard and Murray, Jacksonville has two capable players with starting experience in Darnell Savage and Antonio Johnson.

The Jaguars signed several key players in free agency. Most of them played a factor in the 26-10 win over Carolina, but there's no doubt that Eric Murray is quickly emerging as one of the best of the bunch.

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