Cardinals' Kyler Murray in Bottom Half of NFL QB Rankings

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals are expecting big things from Kyler Murray heading into 2024.

Outside of the desert? Perhaps not so much.

There's still a lot of unknown when it comes to how Arizona's offense will look, but the overall outlook on Murray even prior to his ACL injury back in late 2022 hasn't projected well for the former No. 1 pick.

There's seemingly still a stigma around Murray, who placed in the bottom half of Pro Football Focus' quarterback rankings at No. 17:

"Murray tore his ACL in November of 2022, so we knew most of his 2023 season would be lost. On top of that, we figured the Cardinals wouldn’t be very good and there wouldn’t be a reason to rush him back. But he returned in Week 10 for an eight-game season and played decently. His 2021 campaign was of an MVP caliber, with 43 big-time throws and just 14 turnover-worthy plays. But his 2022 season before injury was a massive step back. We will see which version of Murray comes out on top for the majority of 2024."
PFF's Trevor Sikkema

With a handful of new weapons, it does feel like there's pressure for Murray to step up and deliver in 2024 - but the Cardinals are pretty confident in that happening.

"This is my second offseason, but really in my mind it's my first offseason with him just because he's now acclimated into the program. He wasn't doing what he's doing right now last year," Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters.

"So yeah, we're going on year two - but this is really year one offseason for me where I've seen him on the field with everybody, in the weight room with everybody, lifting and meetings and all that stuff with everybody. So that's been really cool, and like I said guys, I think his game's gonna go to another level. I know it is. I've been extremely pleased with where he's at, what he's doing, the command and the leadership that he's displaying right now. I mean, I think it was the best RVA I've ever seen in my life on Wednesday, truthfully. ... Not to put a bunch of pressure on him, but he's doing extremely well."

To see Murray finish as the 17th-best passer in the league would be surprising considering the weapons around him and the talent he possesses on his own.

Everybody knows how athletic #AZCardinals QB Kyler Murray is, but I asked body guard Will Hernandez about how impressive Murray’s 🏈 IQ was: pic.twitter.com/zSKMwtp8uh
— Donnie Druin (@DonnieDruin) May 21, 2024

Murray earlier this offseason said he was locked in more than any other passer in the league - you can read more about that here.