It’s Speculation Season in the NFL, as we enter the months where there is little action but still a content void to fill.
There is one particular theme going around that I wanted to address: the notion that the Cardinals should keep Kyler Murray sidelined all season, even when he is ready to return from a torn ACL.
Gregg Rosenthal was the latest to bring it up in an article on NFL.com, and the argument is based on tanking for the No. 1 pick if the team is already far behind in the standings.
Those that read my work know I am as pro-tanking as they come — but a move like this would be counter-productive to the overall mission.
As I wrote last week, there is a lot of internal optimism about the pairing of Murray, coach Jonathan Gannon and the offensive staff. The quarterback is excited about the new scheme and his coaches have been impressed with Murray’s grasp of it in the meeting rooms.
As speculation swirls about his long-term future in Arizona, here’s some intel about Kyler Murray’s relationship with the new Cardinals regime:https://t.co/6HoahM9uAX
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) May 8, 2023
Why halt that momentum for a nominal increase in the odds to secure the No. 1 pick?
If Murray is ready to return after four, six, even eight games, it would be a dereliction of duty to keep the team’s most valuable player on the bench when the coaches could start to see how he performs under offensive coordinator Drew Petzing’s guidance.
There is no question finishing with the No. 1 overall pick is tantalizing, and by all means, the Cardinals should pull a Bears in the season finale and bench Murray if it’s on the line.
But can you imagine trying to sell him on it in Week 6? Murray is as competitive as they come, and NFL careers are fleeting. No player wants to sit on the sidelines when they can be playing, and an unspoken portion of the plan would be to have the option of drafting Caleb Williams as his replacement.
Nothing would sour the coach-quarterback relationship quicker than such a ploy, and if Arizona won some close games and finished with, say, the No. 4 overall pick, boy, that would make for an awkward path moving forward.
NFC West projected starters for 2022 NFL season (by @greggrosenthal): Cards, Rams in limbohttps://t.co/fXaQpkJShO pic.twitter.com/RWhnAWrcaX
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) May 17, 2023
Team chemistry aside, getting Murray onto the field is extremely important because we’re not talking about a journeyman quarterback here.
Murray is a two-time Pro Bowler who was the best quarterback in the NFL for the first half of 2021. A bunch has gone on since, and there’s no question the production needs to be sustained for a full year, but there is a cogent argument to keep him as the signal-caller even if Caleb Williams is in Arizona’s grasp.
Williams would be on a cheap contract for five years in such a scenario, but so too would the three first-round picks the Cardinals could nab in a trade down, which would also constitute mega cap savings for Arizona.
The only way to know if Murray was held back by the prior regime is to get him some action in the new scheme.
It could be choppy because athleticism can be limited in the months following the return from a torn ACL, but giving Murray a more varied passing attack would accentuate his strengths and help understand future potential.
