NFL Hot Take: Arizona Cardinals star quarterback Kyler Murray will have a big say in the Caleb Williams sweepstakes
Looking around the NFL schedule for Week 10 and there is an interesting return down in Arizona as two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kyler Murray will make his 2023 NFL season debut in a matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. The Cardinals quarterback is expected to make play for the first time since late season and all eyes will be watching.
It’s more about what the 1-8 Cardinals will do with Murray as a team supposedly tanking for USC star Caleb Williams in the 2024 NFL Draft. With other great top talent entering that draft, Arizona may want to see what they have in Murray before making a franchise changing decision at quarterback.
Tanking for Caleb Williams? Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray can change that narrative
The team started the season going with Joshua Dobbs at quarterback. Although the team was competitive, they still got off to a bad start which put the questions of Murray’s future in the balance. That decision still looms, especially if Murray returns and looks like the Pro Bowl version of himself and leads the team to a few victories along the way.
Would that lead the Cardinals to stick with Murray or pulls the trigger and draft Williams or North Carolina star quarterback Drake Maye? That would be a fascinating question as Murray will not only be on audition to continue being the face of the organization, but his performance may trigger quarterback needy teams to offer competitive trade packages for Murray.
Either way, the Arizona Cardinals are sitting sweet as they enter the foundation stages of a rebuild.
As far as Kyler Murray’s return, teammates are excited, especially wide receiver Hollywood Brown who is more than thrilled to get his quarterback back on the field.
“It’s really good to see him back for himself,” Brown said, via the team’s official website. “Being away from the game is never easy and for him, to see the work he put in and for him to be able to practice with us leading up to the game has been fun.”
It has been a long rehab journey for Murray who not only had to make his way back from a torn ACL but had to strengthen his mentality coming back to a team who is at 1-8 with all the questions around whether he is now and future of the organization at the quarterback position.
Can he make an impact on the team through the second half of the season?
Murray is confident he can.
“I’ve seen what’s been put into it and I’ve seen the grind that’s been put into it,” Murray said. “We’ve been right there in every single game. It’s been unfortunate to have to sit back and watch us go through the pains that we’re going through right now.
“People may think we’re a bad football team. We’re not a bad football team. We’ve got to clean some things up and we need to make more plays.”
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If Murray can be the difference, the offseason is going to be a big one for the Arizona Cardinals. In line for the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, it will be either way.