Rumors linking reigning Heisman winner Kyler Murray to the Arizona Cardinals with the No. 1 overall pick in next month’s NFL Draft have not quieted in recent weeks.
In fact, the Cardinals’ brass — head coach Kliff Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim included — met with Murray in Norman on Tuesday. This is a clear indication that the Cardinals are seriously considering the quarterback with that first pick.
While some are questioning this logic given that Arizona selected Josh Rosen in the top 10 last year, we’re here to say that it makes all the sense in the world.
Kliff Kingsbury: Seen as an innovative offensive mind, he might want his own guy under center.
- This is no small thing. If Kingsbury prefers Murray over Rosen in his offense, the Cardinals have to serious consider making the swap.
- Arizona legitimately rolled the dice on a coach with zero professional experience. Why handcuff him with a quarterback he’s not sold on?
- In a vacuum, Murray does make more sense than Rosen in Arizona’s spread offense. Rosen is your more traditional drop-back passer.
The Josh Rosen equation: Arizona can still get value by trading the young QB.
- This is important to note in that Rosen should still net Arizona either a late first-round pick or a second rounder and some change.
- Sure it’s not the same value as selecting him 10th overall, but it does give the Cardinals more building blocks as the team continues its rebuild.
- Say New England comes calling to offer up its second and one of its third-round selections. That would be hard for the Cards to pass up on.
The more dynamic player: Remember, Rosen was the fourth quarterback off the board last April.
- One has to wonder if those around the league view Murray as a higher-upside player.
- Rosen had some red flags — warranted or not — heading into the 2018 NFL Draft. The only “red flag” we see with Murray is his smallish frame.
- Not like this has been an issue for Russell Wilson, Drew Brees and Baker Mayfield in the past.
As we look at the possibility of Arizona replacing Rosen with Murray, we really have to focus on what the Cardinals want from an internal standpoint. It’s not as much about public perception as it is about how the team wants to build from within.
Sure it would be a black eye for embattled GM Steve Keim to move on from a top-10 pick after just one season. But this isn’t about his long-term future in the desert.
Rather, it’s all about providing Kingsbury with the quarterback he’s most comfortable with. If that so happens to be Murray, Arizona must pull the trigger and not look back.