Cardinals Mailbag: What Changed With Kyler Murray?

ARIZONA -- Welcome to our Week 14 mailbag!

Thanks for all the questions this week - let's dive into them.

Q: When will the suffering stop? - Ryan

A: You're an Arizona Cardinals fan, this kind of comes with the gig, Ryan.

On a somewhat serious note, I think the Cardinals are closer to competing than needing another complete rebuild.

Yes, the Cardinals need changes, and those will come, but there's too many building blocks to tear everything down in the desert.

This year, in my opinion, was the perfect you-know-what storm of "if it could go wrong, it will go wrong."

Can that happen AGAIN in 2026? We'll see.

Q: What's the over/under on how many years until Cardinals make the playoffs again? 10 or more? - Scott

A: I'll definitely take the under... though the Cardinals are about to enter a weird time.

Arizona moves into the offseason looking to offload Kyler Murray and unless they walk out of the draft with either Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore, they'll be putting themselves in quarterback purgatory for the future.

The Cardinals won't be bad enough next season to be in position to draft a top player, either.

Quarterback success doesn't directly translate to playoff appearances, though the NFC West isn't getting weaker and Arizona will need a solidified man of the future.

Will that come in the next ten years? I'd like to hope so.

Q: Are they seriously done with Kyler 100% and what changed? - Cameron

A: That's a great question Cameron, because I've gone back and forth on this a lot.

I think the Cardinals are indeed done with Murray, and that's not only because they're shutting him down for the season.

Arizona's had seven years and two coaching staffs to see what Murray can do. While not placing sole blame on him, it's clear that a split would benefit both sides moving into 2026. It doesn't have to be an ugly divorce.

I think their thoughts were solidified when Jacoby Brissett entered the picture and boosted production on the offensive side of the ball.

Not that Brissett is the hailed savior of this offense, because he isn't, but I think seeing another quarterback than Murray have more success given the same circumstances helped unofficially flip the page for them.

Q: In your estimation, which Cardinals players, coaches or management suits are deserving to receive coal in their Christmas stockings? - Ed

A: What a festive question! I don't think anybody quite deserves coal in their stockings, but for the sake of this question (and the time of year) I'll highlight offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.

Petzing, through his three years, has failed to take advantage of having Marvin Harrison Jr. in his lineup while also clearly having a solidified option in Michael Wilson just kind of wasting away behind him.

The run game has taken a significant step backwards this season, and although injuries have played a role, Petzing's whole background is supposed to be geared towards scheming that aspect of the offense.

That hasn't happened in 2025. Coal for you, Drew Petzing!

Q: Donnie, regarding GM and staff, who stays and who goes. Monti, JG, both coordinators. Thx. - Agent Pappas

A: I think three of the four people are here next season, and based off my answer for the last question, you don't have to guess who I think won't return.

I think Petzing doesn't return for the aforementioned reasoning while everybody (Jonathan Gannon, Monti Ossenfort and Nick Rallis) return.

Rallis' unit wasn't as disappointing as Petzing's was, though it's clear Rallis still has work to do before he can become a legitimate head coaching candidate.

I think Ossenfort is safer than Gannon, though both should return in my opinion. Let's see what this team does at the quarterback position before moving into the future without their head coach and general manager.

I think if the Cardinals lose out we'll have serious conversations about Gannon, though Ossenfort (again, in my opinion) has pieced together the proper ingredients, the chefs just haven't cooked.

Q: Did Trey Benson suffer a setback? Is there still a chance he plays this season? - Scott

A: This is a tricky one, Scott.

The Cardinals have been quick to say no when asked about setbacks, though it's been pretty obvious a handful of times the organization hasn't gotten players back in their expected time frame.

What makes me think he suffered a setback was the team opening his 21-day window to practice, as Arizona is typically conservative when it comes to dealing with injuries. I don't think they would have done so if they didn't think Benson could return.

Benson HAS to be activated by Wednesday or they'll lose him for the rest of the season, so they could see him return at any point in the next three days -- but that looks doubtful at the moment.

Q: Is there any statistics to back up the fanbase's sentiment that Drew Petzing's scheme is below average? I feel like at the end of every game we score 22 points and the other team scores 25... - Hozai

A: I really want to get into the weeds of your question so I'll save that for an entirely different article.

However, Petzing's scheme has taken a step back without Klayton Adams in the run game and has taken a step forward with Jacoby Brissett under center.

I'm not sure about his specific scheme being below average, but for my money's worth, I think situational play-calling, adjustments both in-game/through the season and overall inability to maximize his players doesn't bode well for his argument.

To your point, the Cardinals' defense is also guilty in not holding up their end of the bargain as well. Truly good football teams compliment each other, and Monday Night Football's win over the Dallas Cowboys might be the only instance this season where both sides of the ball showed up.