Kyler Murray's status as one of the most important figures in the Arizona Cardinals franchise is undermined partly by his ACL injury recovery.

Murray has been named one of the Cardinals' captains for the 2023 season, per ESPN. Along with James Conner, Budda Baker, D.J. Humphries, Kyzir White and Dennis Gardeck. Head coach Jonathan Gannon sees Murray as a leader and wants the team to recognize it even though he won’t be playing for quite a while. It would be a pretty tough look for a rookie head coach to strip one of the team's longest-tenured players of their captain status because of an injury but he nonetheless has stated his belief in Murray as a fixture of the team.

“He's our franchise quarterback,” Gannon said, via ESPN. “And everything that I want our captains to be, he demonstrates it.”

Murray, who will be one of the Cardinals' captains for the fourth straight season, is one of the better quarterbacks in football, having two Pro Bowls to his name prior to last season. His dual-threat game made him an up-and-coming star but his injury leaves his stardom uncertain going forward, especially because his size is hardly an advantage (though his arm strength and quickness on his feet certainly are).

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The Cardinals are fully behind Murray but that could be subject to change based on how this season plays out. Their two first-round picks give them the chance to start over after this season with Caleb Williams, one of the best quarterback prospects in recent memory. Trading Murray after this season will be a tough decision to make but with Arizona in dire need of a remake, it could be the decision that firmly signals a new direction.

Murray will reportedly return at some point this season but that point is yet to be determined. Until then, the Cardinals will be relying on Joshua Dobbs and Clayton Tune as the options under center. Arizona projects to be one of the very worst teams in football in 2023 and Murray's return won’t change that.

While Gannon will hope that the Cardinals on the active roster come to play Week 1 with fire in their gut, Kyler Murray will continue working his way back to join them.