Kyler Murray will be the Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons for the first time since he suffered a torn ACL last December.
It’s been a long road back for the former No. 1 pick as he attempts to prove to the Cardinals’ brass that he is indeed their franchise quarterback.
In talking to the media on Thursday, Murray provided a completely ridiculous take on the state of the Cardinals’ organization.
“We’re really not that far off. Obviously, people may think we’re a bad football team. We’re not a bad football team,” Murray told reporters.
Arizona heads into Week 10 with a league-worst 1-8 record. It ranks 28th in the NFL in scoring at 16.8 points per game and is yielding the sixth-most points per game (26.7). That 10 point average margin tells us a story of a pretty darn bad football team.
Since Murray went down to injury, the Cardinals have posted a 1-13 record. They are 5-21 since the start of last season.
It’s one thing to be positive. It’s another thing to say that this is not a bad team with a straight face. In reality, Murray is going to be in for an uphill climb to play well with the lack of a supporting cast on Arizoan’s talent-stricken offense. That’s the reality of the situation right now.
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Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray talks about return from ACL injury
With Arizona likely set to pick No. 1 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, a lot of the talk in the desert has been about USC’s Caleb Williams becoming their franchise quarterback.
That obviously leaves Murray’s future in Arizona up in the air despite the long-term contract he’s playing under. The fact that head coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort didn’t sign Murray to this contract adds another element to the situation. Right now, he has eight games to prove himself to the brass.
“Obviously, I haven’t played for JG, for (offensive coordinator) Drew (Petzing) but I got to witness it for the past however many months. I’ve seen what’s been put into it, I’ve seen the grind. I’m ready to go. I’m ready to go,” Murray told reporters.
- Kyler Murray stats: 67% completion, 13,848 passing yards, 2,204 rushing yards, 107 TD, 41 INT
Leading up to the 2022 season, Murray was seen as a top-end young signal caller and franchise quarterback for Arizona. It had signed him to a whopping five-year, $230.5 million contract heading into that season.
Murray’s own struggles combined with a fractured relationship relating to then-head coach Kliff Kingsbury changed the dynamics big time.
But for now, it’s clear that Murray views his return as a new lease on life. Whether that equates to some wins and a long-term relationship with Arizona’s new brass remains to be seen. For now, Murray needs to be a bit more realistic about what he’s in store for moving forward on the season.