Kyler Murray has been a human cheat code at times in his career, combining freakish explosiveness with dazzling arm talent.
But a promising career arc took a step back in 2022, as he finished No. 19 in the NFL in Total QBR before tearing his ACL in Week 14 against the Patriots.
Between the statistical regression and recency bias, a segment of NFL fans are wondering if Murray is truly an elite quarterback.
Frank Sanders, the former Cardinals’ star wide receiver, lives in Arizona and has watched Murray closely during his four NFL seasons. His takeaway?
“Kyler Murray is an excellent quarterback,” Sanders told Compare.bet. “I would have loved to play with Kyler Murray, but not Kyler Murray in the offense he just left.”
Former Cardinals WR Frank Sanders in the building today. One of classiest players ever. Going to be the "ambassador" for Giants game.
— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) September 30, 2011
Former Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury is an Air Raid disciple, which is an offense predicated on spreading the field and getting the ball to its playmakers.
Sanders doesn’t think Kingsbury changed his scheme nearly enough to account for Murray’s unique skillset.
“It’s the difference between designing an offense around your players, and thinking the players should just run your offense,” Sanders said. “Those are night-and-day differences. And you can see the effects of it. With Kyler you just sat him in the pocket and said, ‘Make it happen.’ That’s not being an offensive coordinator. That’s not maximizing your talent. That’s saying, ‘Make me look great.’”
HOP CAUGHT IT!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/lyAG9gWYPn
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 16, 2020
Sanders points to the Philadelphia Eagles as a team that built an offense around the strengths of its quarterback. Jalen Hurts and Murray played at the University of Oklahoma one season apart, and Murray was the superior player in college, but it is Hurts who is coming off a Super Bowl appearance and MVP chatter.
“Jalen Hurts was a stud of a quarterback in all aspects,” Sanders said. “Running the ball, controlling the offense, passing the ball, minimizing mistakes. I will also say he was utilized to his maximal opportunity. Between Jalen and his offensive coordinator, they maximized him to an optimal level.”
Hurts’ offensive coordinator, Shane Steichen, is now the head coach with the Colts. But here is the intriguing part: The Eagles’ defensive coordinator in 2022, Jonathan Gannon, is now Murray’s head coach with the Cardinals.
And even though he is on the other side of the ball, Gannon made it clear in his introductory press conference that he plans to build the offense around Murray’s talents.
How will watching Jalen Hurts everyday in practice help Jonathan Gannon work with Kyler Murray?
The new @AZCardinals head coach is excited to get started ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/FBjcoQCGo4
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) February 16, 2023
While Murray will miss some time early in the season as he recovers from the ACL tear, his fit in the new scheme could be the most important long-term factor as the Cardinals aim to rebuild back to competitiveness.
“Kliff Kingsbury’s offense did not have the savvy that should have been displayed with a kid with that much talent,” Sanders said. “If that’s something Kyler can get with the guys we just brought in, you will see Kyler Murray absolutely flourish in the NFL, just like Jalen Hurts.”
The short-term projections for the Cardinals are bleak, as the roster is among the worst in the NFL. But a special quarterback can cover up weaknesses, and Murray has done that during stretches of his career.
The best chance at avoiding a Houston-Texans-like perpetual rebuild is finding a way for Murray to prosper, and Sanders believes all the ingredients are there.
The Cardinals just need a chef that can see it through.
“Arm-wise, arm potential, ability to read, I think Kyler has all of those,” Sanders said. “But the offense didn’t feature any part where you could boot him out, roll him out, keep a defense off-guard. They just knew they had to get wide from a defensive line perspective and try to keep him in the pocket.
“This is what (Kingsbury) said: Let’s make Steph Curry a ‘2’ guard and never dribble. Well if he doesn’t dribble as a point guard, then he can’t dish it. Then all he does is shoot 3s, because he can’t get to the hole. You just limit him, and I think they did that with Kyler Murray in that offensive system.”
