Getty Kyler Murray #1 of the Arizona Cardinals talks to head coach Kliff Kingsbury during the game against the New York Jets.
After a scorching hot 6-3 start to the 2020 season, the Arizona Cardinals struggled down the stretch, losing five of their next seven games. Despite a disappointing 8-8 finish, quarterback Kyler Murray flaunted the dual-threat skillset that originally made head coach Kliff Kingsbury so eager to bring him to Arizona.
The former Heisman winner amassed 4,790 yards from scrimmage and 37 total touchdowns this past season. However, Kingsbury believes that type of production is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Murray’s immense ceiling.
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Kingsbury: Murray Can Be as Good as Anybody in This League
“I want to make sure we continue his progression, make sure we are taking the next step,” Kingsbury said, per the team’s official website. “To be able to do what he’s done from Year 1 to Year 2 without an offseason, I’m excited to see where it heads next. I think we all know the talent is immense, and he has a chance to be as good as anybody in this league.”
Murray did a lot of great last season, including earning his first-ever Pro Bowl berth. However, the numbers clearly dipped in the second half of the year. While plenty of that could be attributed to a plethora of injuries, there’s clearly room to grow for the 23-year-old signal-caller, and having a legitimate offseason this time around would seemingly help fast track his development.
“I wish that last year I would have got him in the offseason, and it still remains to be seen what kind of access we’re going to have to him this season,” Kingsbury said. “It’s nice to have unlimited time, whether it’s offseason or in-season, where you can really get deep into the weeds of the quarterback play.”
The 2020 NFL offseason went virtual due to the pandemic and while there is hope that the potential for widespread COVID-19 vaccines could once again usher in in-person practice time in 2021, the prospect sound fairly bleak at the moment.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero recently shared this interaction between NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and agents:
NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith told agents on a call tonight there’s no “rosy outlook” on widespread vaccinations of players by August and OTAs/minicamps likely will be virtual again. “We’re planning for an offseason that looks a lot like (the 2020) offseason.”
Murray: ‘It Starts With Me’
Offseason or not, the Cardinals will have their hands full in one of the league’s most ferocious divisions. The Seahawks and Rams each made the playoffs a season ago, while the latter seemingly upgraded their quarterback position. As for the 49ers, they are just two years removed from a Super Bowl appearance and have an abundance of noteworthy talent returning from injury.
“I think we play in the hardest division in the NFL,” Murray said, via Forbes. “We just have to get better, and it’s not going to get easier. Those teams are here to stay. I think it starts with me—me taking that next step and guys following my lead. We have a lot of areas I feel we need to get better and I think we’ll attack those in the offseason with free agency and stuff like that, so we’ll see.”
As for Murray, the Cardinals aren’t looking for perfection from their star quarterback, but rather constant growth.
“With Kyler it’s just continue to master your craft,” Kingsbury said. “This is a position that you’re never going to reach perfection but you’re going to work towards that. It’s the little things each and every day – consistency each and every day.”
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