Upside & Risks of Broncos Pushing to Acquire QB Kyler Murray from Cardinals

Kyler Murray? No brainer, right? Wrong. There's nuance to this long-shot possibility for the Broncos.

Based on Kyler Murray unfollowing the Arizona Cardinals' social media accounts, and scrubbing all mention of the team from his, it appears the Pro Bowl quarterback is in a loveless marriage. After Murray's poor showing in the Cardinals' 27-10 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, cracks have emerged in the relationship between the talented but flawed quarterback and a coaching staff with an inability to close out the season. 

Out of the blue, Murray deleted all references to his association with the Cardinals organization. But this tension between Murray and the Cardinals could present an opportunity for the Denver Broncos to solve their quarterback problem. 

Let’s be clear, the top priority of Broncos GM George Paton is to land Green Bay Packers' MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers. If the impulsive Rodgers decides to stay put in Green Bay, Option 2 for Paton would be to find a way to coax Seattle’s Russel Wilson to the Mile High City. 

If those two options fail, Paton will have to swallow his pride or, perhaps, he could pick up the phone and try to make a deal with Arizona to acquire Murray. Paton would have an advantage as he negotiates with his counterpart in Arizona Steve Keim. 

Arizona is projected to be $813,256 over the salary cap at the start of the offseason. Conversely, Paton's Broncos have $38 million in cap spaces and he knows in his heart that when it comes to landing a top-tier quarterback, failure is not an option.

If the Broncos were to somehow pry Murray off of Arizona's hands, how would he fit? Who would benefit? Does Denver have the right horses on the coaching staff to take on an enigmatic personality like Murray? 

Let's dive in.

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Payoff

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The 5-foot-10, 207-pound former Heisman Trophy winner and No.1 overall pick in the 2019 draft has flashed brilliance. Murray possesses immense talent.

The former Oklahoma Sooner is known for having arm talent, better-than-average accuracy, and a fondness for taking deep shots down the field. Besides his passing prowess, Murray is rumored to run a blazing 4.3 40-yard dash.

View Murray as a cross between Russell Wilson and Lamar Jackson. Last season, Murray passed for 3,794 yards and 24 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. Adding him to the fold would infuse a shot of energy into Broncos' offense.

Murray's dual-threat ability would force defenses to keep one eye on thwarting him from scampering through a gap in the line and turning on the jets towards the end zone and defending his passing attack. Broncos Country would cheer at the return of a big-play offense. 

Biggest Beneficiaries

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The loudest ovation would come from Broncos' wide receivers Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and Tim Patrick. Based on his past performance, Murray would provide these receivers more opportunities to stretch field the field and catch 20-plus-yard passes.

It would signal a departure and good riddance to the dink and dunk passing offense of the past several years. 

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Drawbacks

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Although Murray is physically gifted, he has limitations. At 5-foot-10, he doesn’t have the measurables of the prototypical NFL quarterback.

He must continually strive to overcome the challenge of throwing over 6-foot-5 (and up) offensive and defensive linemen. To be successful, Murray must be in an offense that is tailored to his skill set.

That could be a huge hurdle for Denver's new head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who is wedded to his wide-zone variant of the West Coast offense. The Broncos' new offensive staff would have to change direction and embrace more of a spread attack.

Unfortunately, Hackett's new offensive coaching staff was not built to develop an offensive game plan that spreads out the defense through 11-personnel and 3 or 4-WR sets, which creates easier reads for the QB. This isn't a gimmick-oriented scheme.

Indeed, adding Murray would take the Broncos down a road they've yet to map. Hackett’s coaching staff was hired to develop an offense for someone like Rodgers, or even Drew Lock.

Personality Concerns

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Beyond the question of system fit, the latest altercation between Murray and his current organization may have unearthed questions regarding the talented QB's maturity. In response to Murray deleting any mention of his association with the Cardinals, the organization issued a statement and leaked to insiders, like Mike Garafolo, the team's concerns about the quarterback's leadership and practice habits.

In most disputes between two parties, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. But this calls into question how much the Broncos would want to risk this sort of potential personality conflict with a young quarterback obviously still feeling his way in the NFL.

"I play this game for the love of it, my teammates, everyone who has helped me get to this position that believed in me (and) to win championships," Murray wrote in a statement. "All of this nonsense is not what I'm about, never has been, never will be. Anyone who has ever stepped between those lines with me knows how hard I go.

"Love me or hate me but I'm going to continue to grow and get better."

Bottom Line

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The Broncos' top offseason priority is to secure a top-flight quarterback. Murray is a viable option and he'd be a significant upgrade over Teddy Bridgewater or Lock. Plus, Murray would be a safer option than the top-three quarterbacks in the upcoming draft. 

But acquiring Murray would come with considerable hazards. He's not an ideal match for the Broncos' offensive plan. Equally important, the Broncos would need to do their due diligence to ensure he possesses the will to get better in his craft.

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