Cardinals Expecting Big Leap From Kyler Murray

The Arizona Cardinals are quite pleased with Kyler Murray's progress thus far.

Nov 12, 2023; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) makes 2023 debut / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY

ARIZONA -- All eyes in the desert are focused on Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and what the former No. 1 pick can do in 2024.

Murray returned from major injury halfway through the 2023 season and now looks to have a full offseason to entrench himself in offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's system. Arizona has added talent around the former No. 1 pick, and now expectations of noticable improvement await the face of the franchise.

Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon says a big year is loading for Murray:

"This is my second offseason, but really in my mind it's my first offseason with him just because he's now acclimated into the program. He wasn't doing what he's doing right now last year. So yeah, we're going on year two - but this is really year one offseason for me where I've seen him on the field with everybody, in the weight room with everybody, lifting and meetings and all that stuff with everybody. So that's been really cool, and like I said guys, I think his game's gonna go to another level. I know it is. I've been extremely pleased with where he's at, what he's doing, the command and the leadership that he's displaying right now. I mean, I think it was the best RVA I've ever seen in my life on Wednesday, truthfully. ... Not to put a bunch of pressure on him, but he's doing extremely well.

- Jonathan Gannon on Kyler Murray

It never gets old hearing the #AZCardinals publicly back Kyler Murray. pic.twitter.com/plBb5sCoM4

— Donnie Druin (@DonnieDruin) May 11, 2024

Gannon and the rest of Arizona's staff have been fairly impressed with Murray since the moment they arrived. Now, with a clean slate (health-wise) and more weapons around him, 2024 could be a major step in the right direction.

"He didn't have a lot of reps on some of that stuff, so to go out there and be able to execute at full speed when it's live, I thought was pretty impressive," Petzing told reporters earlier this month.

"It is definitely a lot more fun to coach him in May than it was getting him in mid-November," Petzing said. "When we hit the field, it was like, 'Alright, here's the game plan. We got to go play.' Now it's 'Hey, are you taking the right drop? Are your eyes in the right place? Do you feel that play the way we want it to be felt.

"I think all those conversations can happen now."