There wasn’t a lot of exciting football played this past weekend, but that actually gives me a lot of things to talk about in this Four Verts column. One team is, mercifully, going to get its starting quarterback from injury while another team in New York wishes it had its quarterback available.
Kyler Murray returning kicks off draft season
The Cardinals announced a significant landmark in their rebuild when head coach Jonathan Gannon stated that Kyler Murray will resume his role as Arizona’s starting quarterback this weekend, assuming his health remains on track to make that a possibility. It’s a huge success for Murray to get back on the field less than a year after tearing his ACL, but there’s also much larger implications for the Cardinals and the rest of the league.
Murray is currently one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL and has the talent to lead offenses for several years to come, but the Cardinals also find themselves currently possessing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. A potential franchise quarterback and the ability to draft their own gives the Cardinals two premium assets that can shape the rest of the league.
The best-case scenario for the Cardinals is Murray reverts back into the quarterback that made the team comfortable giving him a five-year, $230 million contract. The hardest thing to find in the NFL is a franchise QB and Murray’s blend of physical ability, accuracy and age (he turned 26 in August) still gives him a shot to stay in Arizona for the long term. Even if Murray returns to form, it’s unlikely that the Cardinals would win a lot of games considering the talent that’s currently on the roster. According to RBSDM.com, the Cardinals rank 31st in expected points allowed per play (0.061). This is still one of the worst teams in the league, and Murray likely won’t be able to change that as he gets back into playing shape. The Cardinals have only one win for a reason.
Having Murray play well while still having a top draft pick in their pocket is the ideal scenario, but even if Murray struggles and the skid continues, they’ll be on track to replace him in the 2024 draft. Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are both worthy selections atop of the draft and would give their new regime a chance to build around a quarterback of its own choosing. The Cardinals would also have the flexibility to find a trade partner for Murray, allowing him to find a team that might be closer to a playoff run than the Cardinals. Those assets would allow the Cardinals to add talent around Williams or Maye and potentially hasten their rebuild.
Either way, the Cardinals are in a great spot to be stable for the immediate future, whether it’s with Murray or not. Murray becoming available would be a seismic move with a lot of teams currently needing a young QB to lead their squads. The Falcons, Giants, Jets, Raiders and Buccaneers are just a few teams that would have to consider a trade for Murray if he was to become available. A bidding war could return a haul for the Cardinals, which might be enticing in a world where Murray does play well enough to return to the levels of a bona fide franchise quarterback.
Murray’s return is the first domino to fall as far as the 2024 NFL Draft season is concerned and the next couple of months will have major reverberations around the league. Now, the waiting game starts to see exactly how effective Murray will be in his return.
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