Kyler Murray Falls to Bottom Half of QB Rankings
ARIZONA -- Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray's boost to the team after fully recovering from ACL surgery can't be debated, though his spot in various NFL passer rankings can.
NFL.com recently published a quarterbacks ranking piece, going through and scaling each regular season passer's performance.
Murray ultimately started eight games for Arizona - winning three - and performed well enough to finish No. 22 in the eyes of Nick Shook.
"The Cardinals were a surprisingly fun team to follow, not because they won a lot of games, but because of the vibes, man. Arizona knew it was going to struggle under center until Murray returned, which worked out well for Murray, who instantly provided a permanent boost in both production and potential for the Cardinals, a team that learned firsthand how difficult it is to replace a quarterback. Arizona was a significantly better team with Murray, who was facing a prove-it year and appears to have secured his future with Jonathan Gannon’s squad, all while winning just three of his eight starts." - Shook
Quarterbacks such as Justin Fields, Russell Wilson and Derek Carr finished right above Murray.
Murray was forced to adjust to an entirely new coaching staff, offensive scheme and roster in the middle of the regular season, so some slack should be cut in his favor.
In our annual awards piece, Murray won Comeback Player of the Year while author Alex D'Agostino highlighted how strong he finished the 2023 season:
"In games against Chicago, Philadelphia and Seattle, he completed 72.4% of his passes, picked up 813 yards of offense and had six touchdowns to one interception, with a 108 average passer rating. That projects out to 4,607 yards, 34 total touchdowns and just over five interceptions.
"Murray was two missed kicks by Matt Prater away from going 4-4 in his eight games. Despite the ultimate loss in the season finale, Murray led a game-winning drive in two of his three wins, and did enough to warrant a third had Prater's kick gone through."
With plenty of cap space and draft ammo for Arizona to bolster the roster in the coming months, it's tough to see Murray finishing in a similar spot next season.
