Kyler Murray: Can he steady the ship on his return in Arizona?

The 1-8 Arizona Cardinals are possibly the worst team in the NFL at present. They’ve got fight, they’ve got character, but we haven’t seen much from this team so far in 2023 that makes them a competitive outfight.

They traded away a lot of players in the offseason and expectations have been low from the start. But in spite of all the doom and gloom, there is suddenly a sense of optimism in Phoenix for the rest of the season, which could shape the direction of the franchise not just in the short term, but for the foreseeable future.

11 months after tearing his ACL, face of the franchise quarterback Kyler Murray is on track to make his season debut in Week Ten on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, a winnable game for his first back.

The No. 1 pick of the 2019 NFL Draft signed a five-year, $230.5 million extension in April 2022, which marked the first offseason Murray was eligible for a new deal. The contract included $160 million in guarantees and runs through the 2028 season. Murray signed the deal before the changes in the front office and the coaching setup last season, which sparked a rebuild in Arizona.

Much has been made of Murray’s future, particularly as there are still doubts as to whether he is the right man to take the team to the next level. The Cardinals are well primed to be in a position to be able to select one of the premier quarterbacks coming out of college in 2024, and given they also own the Houston Texans first too, Arizona could look to be very aggressive in the offseason. And given the need for change, that scenario looks a likely possibility.

It obviously comes down to how Murray plays in the coming weeks. If he does well enough, the Cardinals may be convinced. But if he’s able to win some games and remove the team from the elite quarterback conversation next April, he’ll have surely saved his career in Arizona.

And in the long-run, if Murray can steer the Cardinals nearer to a mid-top 10 position for the upcoming NFL Draft, the team may be able to select an elite non-QB prospect like wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., tight end Brock Bowers or one of the highly graded offensive tackles to come in and really bolster the offense and Murray’s development.

There is no doubt to his talent. Murray won NFL offensive rookie of the year in 2019, earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2020 and propelled the Cardinals to 11 wins in 2021, and the plays he’s able to make, particularly with his feet and long-balls, are up there with the very best. If he can just improve his consistency, there is no doubt the former No.1 pick can get back to being one of the very best in the NFL.

In that sense, Murrays future is in his own hands going into the stretch of the 2023 season. It’ll take some time for the player to get back to his best following the injury, but we’re confident he can steady the ship in Arizona.