After his four-game comeback from an ACL tear, Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offense are beginning to gel.
You could do much worse than what Kyler Murray did in the closing minutes of the first half of Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers if you were attempting to argue for quarterback greatness.
The Steelers were just stopped on a fourth down at the 1-yard line by his defense. The Arizona Cardinals could have played the entire game—run, run, incomplete pass, punt—and no one would have done more than shrug and say, “Yeah, that’s about right.” The game was tied at 3-3 and endured two separate weather delays.
Rather, Murray led his team expertly through a 99-yard touchdown drive that lasted 15 plays and gave Arizona a lead it would never let up. With that drive, Murray might not have guaranteed himself a job in 2024, but he did strengthen his argument for remaining in Arizona. With his foot on the gas, he helped Arizona defeat Pittsburgh 24–10, their third victory of the season.
After returning from an 11-month rehabilitation for a torn ACL, Murray is now 2-2. Although he hasn’t shown much statistically (he completed 13 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown on Sunday), Murray is beginning to show the kind of leadership that a young team needs at quarterback. Specifically, it appears that he has a comfortable target in Trey McBride, a second-year tight end who caught eight passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. (If your preference is for a wide-receiver-focused, offensive attack that is balanced, don’t compare McBride’s numbers to Murray’s.)
Following Sunday’s game, Murray declared, “I expect to win every time I touch the field.” “I’m still angry about the two defeats that I participated in… For me, though, this is still preseason. For me, things are starting to slow down and I’m growing more at ease outside.
The Cardinals’ offseason discussions mostly focused on the possibility of trading Murray and taking advantage of a quarterback-heavy draft. However, a draft expert could project that much more easily than an accountant in Arizona could reconcile it.
Sixth in the NFL in terms of average value, Murray’s contract is higher than those of Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, and Russell Wilson. His rookie contract, which pays him $230 million over five years until the 2028 season, hasn’t even begun to expire. In addition, Murray has a massive cap hit of $97 million this season, $81 million the following, and so on. As a result, trading him would be challenging, but cutting him loose is not an option.
Arizona owns two first-round draft selections, one from Houston and one from itself. Because of Houston’s comeback, the Cardinals currently have picks in the third and 18th spots. This puts the Cardinals in an intriguing situation: should they select an offensive lineman and/or quarterback to supplement Murray, such as Marvin Harrison Jr. of Ohio State, or both?
Furthermore, a peek at the future reveals that the Cardinals will have a ton of cap space available in the 2024 season ($56 million, ninth most in the NFL). Although the Arizona team as a whole won’t be completely changed by that kind of bankroll, the Cardinals might be able to develop Murray in a way they haven’t throughout his career.
If the Cardinals coaches are to be believed, Murray—who previously came under fire for concentrating more on video games than game film—spent a large amount of his recuperation period learning the game with the staff, including head coach Jonathan Gannon, who has shown promise of his own. In an attempt to stay up with an offense that was set up when Murray returned from injury four weeks ago, he has spent time in the film room and on the field with new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.
The Cardinals’ final four games are against the 49ers, the Eagles, the Seahawks, and the only possible break in the schedule could be a road trip to see the Bears. These games will be brutal. (In addition, considering how Carolina and New England have played this season, there may be a competition for the third draft pick.)
However, Murray still has four games left to establish his worth and determine whether or not he fits into the Cardinals’ 2024 plans. For him and the team, it’s not a bad place to be.
