How Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is Changing The Narrative

Arizona's franchise quarterback needed to take a step forward this season. So far, it's looked like he has.

Sep 15, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) throws against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

ARIZONA-- The Arizona Cardinals never truly had a quarterback controversy. That said, there were certainly question marks to be examined when looking at Kyler Murray.

Especially coming off a significant injury - and now entering his second year with head coach Jonathan Gannon - fans, media and analysts alike wanted to see something more out of Murray.

The former Offensive Rookie of the Year had up-and-down seasons under Kliff Kingsbury, showing flashes of elite raw talent, while also calling into question certain aspects of his game, such as ball security, ability to read defenses and, of course, the tired discourse over his size.

After missing most of 2023 recovering from his torn ACL, Murray certainly had some rust to shake off last season, but looked like he was coming into his own in a brand new offense, with little weaponry at his disposal.

That begged the question: what can we expect out of the 27-year-old signal-caller in 2024?

No matter the ultimate answer, there is an expectation of growth laid upon him in 2024 - a need to see him unlocked and playing towards his ceiling, rather than maintaining the status quo of the past few seasons.

So far, it certainly looks like Murray has begun to mature into more of a decisive, intellectual archetype of quarterback. The arm talent, elusiveness and big play ability is there, but it's the little things Murray has done in his first two games that have stood out to this writer.

So far, he's 38-for-52 on the year, good for a 73.1% completion rate. In week two, he completed 17 of his 21 passes, good for an 81% clip. He has 428 passing yards and four touchdowns, to go along with 116 yards on the ground. In week two, he became the second Cardinal quarterback in franchise history to finish his day with a perfect 158.3 passer rating.

He's been efficient, generally mistake free, and has made quality decisions with the football in both games so far. With how poised he's been in the pocket, and a more positive, mature attitude off the field, he's definitively shown his potential to be both the leader and the passer Arizona needs.

Decision-Making

Being a quarterback in today's NFL is different than it was in even somewhat recent years. While there's an ever-growing pool of athletically-gifted quarterbacks who can make explosive gains out of broken plays, the emphasis is no longer fully on racking up yards and touchdowns.

Rather, the question becomes "can he execute consistently without mistakes or turnovers?"

High-percentage plays have become the new offensive philosophy. Especially in offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's Shanahan-esque scheme, the emphasis is on running the ball and creating favorable matchups through play-action and time of possession.

That type of offense leads to constricted box scores. Across the NFL, quarterback numbers are down from a pure volume standpoint. The NFL's leader in yards passing (excluding Aaron Rodgers, who has played one more game than the rest), is Brock Purdy, with 550 yards over two weeks, averaging under 300 yards per game.

And that's alright. Lower volume yardage doesn't equate to lesser arm talent necessarily. What it does do is force analysts, writers, and the average fan to contextualize raw production with overall efficiency, mistake-free play and the intangible aspects of the quarterback position.

Murray has demonstrated - through two weeks, granted - a boosted decisiveness, a higher processing speed and an ability to make an accurate throw on a read that might be his second or third look.

Cardinals legend Kurt Warner broke down Murray's game film on YouTube. While there was plenty of raw talent to look at, what stood out the most was Murray's ability to work through his progressions and not only find the favorable matchup, but also know when to check it down for a positive play.

Murray did just that. While he made some special plays (we'll get to those), the ultimate sign of a mature quarterback is taking the easy gain and avoiding putting the ball in harm's way. Murray found his running backs and tight ends at an efficient rate in both weeks, and despite losing a fumble week one, has yet to throw an interception.

Murray was able to buy time with his legs, but was also able to progress through his reads at a quick pace.

On his iconically impressive second touchdown toss to Marvin Harrison Jr. against the Rams, Harrison wasn't the first or the second read. The design was for TE Trey McBride to run a deep corner, with a short flat route right in front of Murray, who instead kept his head and found the slow-developing route downfield.

Of course, that's an extreme example. Some of his other decisions became checkdowns and short gains, but the point remains: Murray is becoming an intellectual quarterback. That, paired with his big play ability, is exactly what the Gannon, Petzing and the Cardinals want.

Big Time Throws

Yes, the "boring" style of quarterback play is dominating the NFL these days. But Murray is no everyday QB.

Murray's deep ball accuracy took a hit in 2022 and 2023. Now, this was partially due to scheme, struggles with the offensive line, and receiver factors. But he also was simply missing throws at times.

That hasn't been the case much in 2024. While he's thrown some inaccurate balls - what QB hasn't? - he's also showcased an overwhelming amount of perfectly-placed passes, crossing the border into elite big time throw territory.

In week two, he perfectly laid a rope over a defender who was blanketing Harrison for the rookie's first NFL touchdown. Inches shorter and it's an interception, inches farther and Harrison is out of bounds.

He also made two exceptional throws while on the move. He danced around to his left, somehow managing to set his feet in time to find Harrison deep down the sideline for one, while the other was his exceptional 18-yard touchdown to Elijah Higgins in the end zone.

But perhaps the best throw of them all was to McBride. Though McBride didn't appear to be the best read, Murray made a decisive, perfect deep throw down the sideline, wagering his arm talent against double coverage, while trusting his tight end's catch radius. The result was breathtaking.

This play got lost in the shuffle of MHJ and Kyler Murray, but what an unbelievably elite catch this was by Trey McBride. pic.twitter.com/OhUyy3t8U3

— Alex D’Agostino (@AlexDagAZ) September 16, 2024

This ball simply could not have been thrown any better - and it would be difficult to find more than a handful of other QB's who can consistently make a throw like this one, and the others in that same contest.

Murray's speed, elusiveness, accuracy and mentals all appear to be heading in the right direction. Sure, the NFL is a harsh mistress, and disaster can strike at any moment, but, at the very least, Murray is showing an ability to consistently showcase both rational, "boring" plays, and his explosive arm talent, against two upper-tier defenses in Buffalo and Los Angeles.

Sure, it's only been two weeks. Mistakes are sure to be made at some point, and a 158.3 can't become the every-week expectation, but Murray certainly looks to be turning into the quarterback that Arizona drafted first overall, and a serious, multifaceted threat to even the best defenses.