Cardinals QB Kyler Murray Low in NFL Tier Rankings
Though the Arizona Cardinals have plenty of questions ahead of the 2023 season, the largest one comes in the form of one of their smallest players.
Quarterback Kyler Murray is no stranger to scrutiny. Whether he deserves most of that scrutiny is a topic for another time, but neither side of the coin can decline how polarizing of a player he is.
Coming off a torn ACL/meniscus from late last season, there's serious questions as to how the former Heisman winner and No. 1 pick will rebound. Murray was placed on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list and his status for the early portion of the season is in doubt.
Even when he gets through practice and is 100% ready to go both mentally and physically, he'll have to adjust to life without DeAndre Hopkins in a brand new offensive scheme. The learning curve will be steep, though the Cardinals and Murray have been insistent the quarterback is picking up the playbook quickly.
Murray has displayed his talents on more than one occasion, and there's hope a fresh start around Murray will propel him back to those levels.
When it comes to The Athletic's QB tiers for the 2023 season, that's a different story. Murray found himself in the third of four tiers. The rankings were determined by NFL insiders.
"Voters put 30 veteran quarterbacks into five tiers, from best (Tier 1) to worst (Tier 5). Quarterbacks were then ranked by average vote and placed into tiers based on vote distribution, beginning with Mahomes, whose 1.00 average vote reflected his status as a unanimous Tier 1 selection. No QBs landed in Tier 5 this year, although some received Tier 5 votes. The survey excludes rookies because voters have not seen them play in the NFL." - Mike Sando on the rankings
Tier 1: Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Aaron Rodgers, Justin Herbert
Tier 2: Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Trevor Lawrence, Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford, Deshaun Watson, Kirk Cousins
Finally, we arrive to Tier 3, which was described as, "A Tier 3 quarterback is a legitimate starter but needs a heavier running game and/or defensive component to win. A lower-volume dropback passing offense suits him best."
Murray - effectively ranked as the No. 13 quarterback in the league here - was joined in Tier 3 by passers such as Derek Carr, Jared Goff, Russell Wilson, Tua Tagovailoa, Jimmy Garoppolo, Daniel Jones, Geno Smith, Justin Fields, Ryan Tannehill and Mac Jones.
Certainly odd to see Murray's name mixed with that crowd, especially considering where the Cardinals were heading into last season. Perhaps a convincing rebound campaign can push him forward.
The final tier of quarterbacks below Murray's group consisted of Brock Purdy, Kenny Pickett, Jordan Love, Baker Mayfield, Sam Howell, Desmond Ridder and Gardner Minshew.
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