THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Teammates didn't know much about new Rams defensive tackle Larrell Murchison's personality because he was fairly quiet when he arrived.
That changed last week against the Broncos, when Murchison not only showed that, but the production he can bring to the defensive line rotation with two sacks and two tackles for loss in his Rams debut.
"Well, the dance definitely sticks out," linebacker Bobby Wagner said Wednesday. "When you come into a team, like kind of where he came into the team, he was quiet, doesn't really say much, just meeting with the coaches trying to get sped up on the defense and stuff like that. Then he goes out and gets a sack and starts dancing and starts talking and we were like, 'Yo, where's this? Where did this come from?' He's put in a lot of work to try to understand the scheme and understand the nuances of the defense and I think it was really fun to just watch him just have fun out there and let loose and not worry about always being right or whatever, but just making plays."
Those two sacks were the first of Murchison's NFL career and came at timely moments in last Sunday's 51-14 victory.
Murchison's first sack was a takedown of Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson for a nine-yard loss and helped stall a Denver drive that forced them to settle for a 54-yard field goal. His second sack also was a takedown for a nine-yard loss on third down which forced the Broncos to punt.
"Oh yeah, it was fun," Murchison told theRams.com Thursday. "Shoot, I've been waiting my whole career really to make some plays like that. It was exciting to be out there, be able to celebrate with my teammates and have some fun."
The performance came less than two weeks after Murchison joined the Rams, who had claimed and been awarded him off waivers from the Titans. The 2020 fifth-round pick of North Carolina State, who produced 13 total tackles (two for loss) in 26 games with five starts during his two-plus seasons in Tennessee, indicated he felt pretty good that he would end up where he was supposed to be when he got waived – whether that was back to the Titans' practice squad, joining the Rams or joining another team.
"I knew it was God's plan," Murchison said. "I knew wherever I ended up, whether that was back on Tennessee's practice squad, whether that was anywhere else, I knew God was going to place me where he needed me."
Murchison said he likes the "swag" in the Rams' defensive line room, which likewise embraced him and helped put him in a position to succeed.
"It was a lot of fun for that young man and it was able to be expressed in his play and how he went out there and his ability to absolutely capture his teammates, and that's different," defensive coordinator Raheem Morris said Thursday. "I give less credit to Larrell than I would give to the guys that embraced him and his ability to put him within their rooms and have the ability to go out there and find a guy to go have success. I love that. That is a sign of people knowing what we are about and that's the culture that's been built here, the standard that's been set with that ability."
As the Rams navigate the final two weeks of their 2022 season, Murchison's goal is to continue to show he can be a reliable contributor for Los Angeles' defense – and maybe continue to have that personality on display as well.
"I just want to show up and help this team any way I can," Murchison said. "Just show I can be a help, show I can be productive, be able to be myself."
