As soon as the Denver Broncos picked Red Murdock with the last selection of the entire 2026 NFL Draft, it felt like they had gotten one of the top steals in the class.
Murdock set an NCAA record at Buffalo with a whopping 17 forced fumbles, breaking the previous record of 16 set by another notable former Buffalo alum: Khalil Mack. Murdock's ability to force fumbles isn't a series of coincidences or a string of good luck, but a skill he has worked hard to perfect over the years.
It's quite literally a different ballgame when you go from college to the NFL, but Murdock's weapon of being able to punch the ball out is already proving to be something that can help the Broncos. With the team putting on the pads for Friday's training camp session, Murdock turned up the intensity and did what he does best: Force a fumble.
Red Murdock proves his ability for force fumbles can translate right away for the Broncos
During a 7-on-7 period at Broncos training camp on Friday, Murdock forced a fumble on fellow rookie tight end Justin Joly. There was also a report that Murdock forced a fumble on wide receiver Hakeem Butler, although it's possible Butler was mistaken for Joly because he wears No. 30 and Joly wears No. 80.
Either way, it's the first forced fumble (at least) of training camp for Murdock, and perfectly timed.
He also had a big tackle for loss, meeting running back Cody Schrader as soon as he got the ball in the backfield, showing off his ability to knife through the line of scrimmage and make plays against the run.
The Broncos' defense desperately needs Murdock to step up in a big way this season. They have veterans Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad slated to take all of the reps at the position, but those two are the only ones with any meaningful experience on the inside.
Behind them, the Broncos have a collection of young players, former undrafted free agents, and Murdock, the team's lone draft pick among the reserves. With Murdock coming through and making a big play at training camp, his confidence should be skyrocketing. If the past couple of seasons are any indication, Murdock needs to be ready to play.
He might not be the top reserve at linebacker for the moment -- he's been getting snaps behind Levelle Bailey and Karene Reid early in camp -- but he could be the Broncos' top reserve at linebacker before too long.
If he keeps punching the ball out, he's going to be hard to keep off the field. The Broncos want to emphasize taking the ball away more this season, and Murdock is someone whose unique ability to force fumbles can help them do exactly that.
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