Any assessment of what needs to happen in anticipation of next season starts with Kyler Murray. Until that puzzle is solved I can’t see the Cards competing for the playoffs, let alone winning any games if they get there. Now 2 regimes have endorsed Murray and had the chance to develop him. I’ll discuss Gannon’s endorsement of Murray in the next post. I believe the idea that getting some phenomenal QB whisperer who will fix this issue is illusionary. That said, 2025 will possibly be Murray’s last chance at QB with the Cards. Cutting Murray in 2025 would save less than $3 mil cap space and cause $40 mil+ in dead money. That would greatly hinder the rebuild. A 6/1 cut in 2026 is manageable. Also a trade, while somewhat cap limiting, is also possible at that point. Murray should be told the reality of his position. Improving in 2025 is not optional.
Before further discussing the future it makes sense to examine how we got here. Kingsbury was anointed coach (no winning history marked him as worthy). He wanted Murray; his dream QB. Murray came in with more accolades than Caesar. He and Kingsbury formed something of a partnership rather than a coach/player relationship. Instead of holding Murray accountable for all the routine things he didn’t do, Kingsbury complimented him on what he could do. I recall it actually being said Murray didn’t need a great Oline because he could just elude the rushers. Of course, when several of those rushers proved to be almost as fast as he was, this plan failed gloriously.
Also Murray’s passing technique was flawed. Keep in mind he is truly a superior athlete. In college could win even with flaws, though the playoffs might have sounded a warning. He constantly threw off his back foot. That was eventually corrected, but it took so long that the process was another warning sign. Murray and Kingsbury loved the shotgun formation so that was virtually all that was used. Rollouts weren’t often planned as Murray was always on the run. Another concern was running out of bounds rather than throwing the ball away, yet another long correction process ensued. Maybe Murray was always contact shy (before the NFL he rarely experienced it). Perhaps under Kingsbury he got beat up so much he just became adverse to contact. In any case he now lacks composure.
As far as 2025 is concerned, some things can be fixed; others can’t. I don’t think you can fix Murray’s mind. As mentioned he has trouble with composure. He simply panics. Then he makes idiotic passing attempts. This cannot, in my opinion, be fixed with an attitude adjustment. The only way to fix this is to minimize the number of times Murray finds himself pressured to the point of panic. This means a better offensive line and using more rollouts, which according to statistics favor Murray’s passing skills anyway. Keeping in an RB more often would help. Nothing will completely stop the crazy throws when he’s overwhelmed by the pressure. Avoidance of pressure is the preferred strategy.
Sadly Murray has still more issues. His panic causes him to almost always throw to the primary receiver, even when that receiver is covered. Whether Murray likes it or not, insistence on using progressions is critical. Plus, there is a possibility that he doesn’t see the entire field. One of the ways to combat this is to run multiple routes on the same side; just at different levels. That way he has at least two options easily visualized. Adding a speedy receiver should create more open receivers and take advantage of Murray’s strong arm. I do not subscribe to the theory that his arm strength has declined.
Murray’s panic also causes him to release balls before the receiver is in their best leverage position. This is a big problem when throwing to Harrison. Closely related, there’s the issue of ball placement. Murray typically doesn’t throw receivers open. He also enables defenders to prevent completions by throwing the ball where the defender can reach it. Additionally one of the things height-challenged Brees mastered was shifting in the pocket to open throwing lanes. Murray continues regularly to get passes knocked down because he seemingly thinks he can throw passes through defender’s arms. Finally, when have you ever seen Murray take a hit to make a completion? If he’s truly that fragile he should have picked baseball. He needs to be tougher. Likewise Cards’ coaches need to stop treating him as marked “fragile.” They don’t need to run him continuously. They do need to run him often enough to make the run threat credible. That will slow the rush and reduce his panic.
Murray might be the best athlete to play QB for the Cards. If somehow he could get fixed from the neck up, he could still be a dominant QB. As it stands they can win with him, but must understand his limitations. The offense must be structured to compensate for these issues. A linemen capable of providing unit leadership is needed. Add a dominant defense and they can contend even for the big prize. Murray needs a top line and a greatly improved WR corps. I don’t see them working on developing Tune, so a veteran backup would make sense, especially if Murray’s going to run. Someone like Justin Fields might also threaten Murray. Part of this dump Kyler concept ignores who replaces him. Drafting mid-round is not ideal for QB acquisition. Fields may be the best FA fit, but is he a sure thing to be better? Getting even a “good” QB is a crapshoot. Getting a Sam Darnold result is rare. Are you willing to spend big money on a previous failed QB or try a never successful guy like Trey Lance?
Overall I’m clearly not excited about the 2025 edition of Murray. Taking pass rushing pressure off him while turning up the pressure to improve his skill set are the objectives I seek.
Going forward I anticipate providing a series of article anticipating how the Cards need to change.
