When Kyler Murray tore his ACL in Week 14 of the 2022 NFL season, it effectively gave rookie head coach Jonathan Gannon and the Arizona Cardinals a free year to figure things out.
Now granted, it’s not like the Cardinals were exactly a team loaded up with talent ready to rock and roll in 2023, as they had a head coaching vacancy for a reason, but with Murray unable to put his unique offensive game on display, the former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator could more or less experiment with what he had in the pursuit of premier draft picks instead of playoff positioning.
The results were encouraging, even if the team’s record didn’t show it.
While the Cardinals only finished out the 2023 season with four wins, six more of their games were lost within 10 points or less, with all but one of those contests coming with either Clayton Tune or Josh Dobbs under center. If Murray can return to the absolute peak of his powers, where he could scramble around behind the line like Patrick Mahomes and sling it down the field like Russell Wilson, it’s worth wondering if Arizona couldn’t have turned a few more of those wins in their own favor, and be perceived as a much better team than they are now.
And yet, just because Murray is back doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to be as good as he once was, let alone elevate his game to the level he needs to play at to win one of the most contentious divisions in the NFL. Murray has a combined 28-36-1 record as a pro and has only led the Cards to a winning record once in 2021. As a result, assuming Murray can become a premier playmaker capable of unseating the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams as the NFC West’s premier team is very much a question mark, as he’s only shown glimpses of that level of play through his first five seasons in the NFL.
Can Murray get where he wants to be in 2024, proving he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL? Sure, he has the talent to do so, and if he’s placed in the right position to succeed, he may end up getting there. But needless to say, fans and the front office alike will be watching his situation very closely this fall, as Murray may just have the most varied set of potential outcomes of any high-profile player in the league.
Jonathan Gannon is saying all the right things about Kyler Murray
After entering an offseason filled to the brim with interesting opportunities and questions surrounding the future of Arizona’s football franchise, Jonathan Gannon has made it a point to complement his franchise quarterback at every step along the way, letting reporters know before the draft that Murray was the guy regardless of who might fall to them at pick four.
“Since we came in here and started from scratch, everything we’ve asked of him he’s went above and beyond,” Gannon said. “If you watched the tape you know why I’m convicted. It’s not only the tape, but the other things that he brings to the table. As a person, as a teammate, as a competitor, I absolutely love. Like saddle me up, let’s go.”
“There’s some things we want to explore, that we think he can handle,” Gannon said. “He wants some things added that he likes and that he’s comfortable with. I just think that him, taking all the reps, will not only help him develop within our system and him as a player.
“His best football is ahead of him, which is interesting to say because he’s already played at a high level. I really think he’s gonna keep going up. The thing I really love about him is that he’s got a smile on his face and he loves ball, and he loves to practice. He loves to play, he loves the process, loves to compete. I’ll line up with him.”
Did the Cardinals ever seriously consider moving on from Murray in favor of a shiny new option in the draft, be that someone at four or even trading up to go after one of 2024’s Big 3? It’s impossible to know, but now that everything is said and done, it’s safe to say no one is happier about how things shook out than Murray, as he secured the best wide receiver prospect in recent memory to throw to this fall in Marvin Harrison Jr. from Ohio State. If Murray can’t succeed with MHJ to throw to, he may never succeed period.
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