Evaluating Whether Kyler Murray Makes Sense for Dolphins

The endless parade of potential quarterback options for the Miami Dolphins gained another member this week.

The Arizona Cardinals are expected to release Kyler Murray when the new league year begins on March 11. Arizona was pretty much in the same boat as Miami is with Tua Tagovailoa. The Cardinals wanted to trade the expensive passer, but haven’t found anyone willing to take on his contract.

Assuming no surprise trade materializes, Murray will be available for any team to sign for the minimum salary. That price alone makes discussing his fit with the Dolphins worthwhile. It's been floated by some national outlets already.

The NFL draft doesn’t have many great options, and free agency’s top prize — Malik Willis — might be out of the Dolphins’ price range. Let’s take a look at both sides of the Murray to Miami debate.

Why Murray Makes Sense for Dolphins

At a glance, Murray looks like an incredibly appealing option. The Dolphins would only have to pay him $1.3 million in 2025, with Arizona paying the rest of the bill. For a team up against the salary cap, like Miami, that’s a pretty big positive.

Murray is also still a relatively young player. He’s just 28, and even his critics would say he’s got the arm talent and mobility to be an above-average quarterback.

The Dolphins desperately need to take swings on players with that potential. That potential has been shown throughout his career, too. He made two Pro Bowls (2020, 2021) and was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019.

He was also pretty good for the Cardinals in 2024. The rest of the roster wasn’t up to snuff, but Murray helped the team go 8-9 in a rebuilding year, including a Week 8 game against the Dolphins when Murray shredded Miami’s defense.

From a pure talent perspective, Murray is on the same level as Willis and has a more proven track record. Combine that with his much cheaper price, and it makes sense on the surface.

Why Murray Doesn’t Make Sense for Dolphins

Everything listed above remains true, but there is a laundry list of reasons that Murray doesn’t make sense for the Dolphins. Let’s start with the on-field reasons.

While Murray has had his moments and at times elevated a bad Cardinals team, he’s also had some pretty underwhelming seasons. Part of that is due to his injury history.

Murray has made 17 starts just once in his last four seasons. He only played five games last year because of a foot injury, missed nine games in 2023, and seven more in 2022. His injury from 2022 was an ACL tear, so it’s not like these are minor injuries.

If you combine that with Murray’s small stature (5-10, 207) and his running play style, it’s hard not to worry about his longevity.

You might be saying that shouldn’t matter because the Dolphins are only signing him to a one-year deal. Well, the optimal outcome is that Murray plays well enough to become a long-term option.

If that happens, the Dolphins are left with the decision of handing out another big-time contract to a smaller quarterback with an injury history.

Moving past that, Murray doesn’t fit what the Dolphins’ offense is likely to do under offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. He’s expected to run a more traditional Shanahan-style offense, which means getting under center and throwing the ball over the middle of the field with anticipation.

Murray might be the worst scheme fit for that offense that you can imagine. He thrives outside of structure, throwing outside the numbers, and from the shotgun. His height makes it hard for him to navigate the middle of the field, which is one of many reasons the Cardinals always struggled against better teams under Murray.

Lastly, Murray doesn’t seem like an ideal culture fit. New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley have spoken a lot about finding players who care more about winning and the team as a whole than themselves.

Every coach and GM says that, but if the Dolphins want to create some goodwill in Year 1 of a rebuild, it would be wise to follow through with that.

Whether it’s fair or not, Murray has a reputation for butting heads with the front office and with coaching staffs.

It’s impossible to know the details of Murray’s battle with the front office over an “independent study” clause in his 2022 contract extensions or his reported discontent with former Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury.

However, the Dolphins just don’t seem to be the team to take on a quarterback with that narrative hanging over his head.

Final Verdict on Murray to Dolphins

This is a tough one because while we strongly feel Murray isn’t a good fit for the Dolphins, it’s hard to get too upset about the team taking a shot on a 28-year-old QB with impressive physical talent.

Trading for players like Will Levis and Anthony Richardson is essentially the same principle, although they’re younger and have far fewer bad habits.

The other thing to consider is whether Murray would even want to play in Miami. He’ll have his fair share of suitors, and you’d have to imagine teams like Pittsburgh or Minnesota, that are more prepared to compete, would be more appealing options.

Murray has made the playoffs just once in his career, and his only playoff start was a rough outing against the Rams. If Murray wants to rewrite the narrative of his career, he’s better off going to a place that isn’t rebuilding.

Ultimately, this feels like a wrong place, wrong time situation. The Dolphins aren’t in a position to bet on a player like Murray, and he likely isn’t in a position to bet on the Dolphins.

Never say never, but this just seems like a strange pairing for both sides.