Cardinals OC Vouches for Kyler Murray to Stay
ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals entered 2023 with plenty of speculation surrounding their quarterback position and what the future could possibly hold.
With just four games remaining on the schedule, that narrative has changed rather swiftly.
It feels like forever ago when Caleb Williams, the thought of tanking and other ideas were thrown around the desert on a weekly basis. Kyler Murray - still recovering from major ACL surgery - had to perform above expectations with a rather poor roster in order to save himself in Arizona.
Through his rehab and return thus far, he's managed to impress everybody in the new regime consisting of head coach Jonathan Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort.
OC Drew Petzing was asked by ESPN's Adam Schefter on "The Adam Schefter Podcast" if he knew who he wanted his quarterback to be moving forward:
"The goal is to always make the roster better in every way, shape or form. I think Monti, the scouting staff, the entire department is committed to that goal, but I feel really good about where Kyler's at as a franchise quarterback," Petzing said.
"He's absolutely that. I think he's done a great job of embracing that role, owning that role and moved into that role as he hit the field here - whatever it was about a month ago. So we've been really pleased with that."
This isn't the first time Petzing has given Murray glowing reviews. A week before the regular season began, Petzing offered this on his franchise passer:
“Just done everything we’ve asked from a rehab standpoint, from a learning-the-offense standpoint, from an engagement in the offensive room and getting to know his teammates and things like that," Petzing said.
"So, really pleased with where he’s at, kind of how he’s handled things, and certainly expect that to continue moving forward, and I think that’s one of the main reasons you see him as a captain. I certainly view him as a franchise quarterback and a leader of this organization, and I think his teammates do, too."
Murray is 2-2 in the games he's started, completing nearly 61% of his passes for 864 yards, three passing touchdowns and two interceptions with three more touchdowns coming on the ground.
Petzing has brought an entirely different look for Murray, who was operated under previous spread offenses and rarely out of center dating back to even his college days at Oklahoma.
Now, Petzing has Murray operating out of shotgun far less often, is utilizing play-action stronger than ever and is even changing minor details such as footwork as well.
Arizona will still utilize the remaining month's worth of games to fully evaluate Murray before entering another pivotal offseason as their rebuild continues, though there's no denying the admiration from both sides is mutual.
