Arizona Cardinals revamp hinges on Kyler Murray’s flexibility
The Arizona Cardinals have a new coaching staff. Quarterback Kyler Murray is the linchpin in making the new regime work.
It’s a new day in the desert.
For the Arizona Cardinals, 2023 is going to be something of a football experiment. With Murray potentially out half a year with a torn ACL, first-year HC Jonathan Gannon will have to be creative. The former defensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles, Gannon understands he’ll need his strengths to be showcased while Arizona tries to stay afloat in the competitive NFC West.
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Meanwhile, first-time offensive coordinator Drew Petzing has to be innovative. With Murray sidelined, he’ll need to come up with an offense he can use throughout the season. Although one essentially which can be turbo-changed once No. 1 returns to the field.
This week, Petzing talked to reporters about what he’s hoping to build around Murray, without divulging the exact details, per ESPN:
“That’s a secret that, I mean, if I gave away right now, we’d really be in trouble. But, no, I think a lot of that is going to be pieced together this spring and this offseason as we move towards September. It’s part of the process we talked about dealing with, figuring out the roster and how these guys fit and what they do well, and that certainly starts with the quarterback, as it will in every building in this league.
“But I think that’s going to be an ever-evolving process that we need to work through. Certainly have an idea of what I want to do and what I think these players want to do well and will do well, and I think that’s going to be the big challenge this offseason to put that together.”
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In four NFL seasons, Murray has shown to be one of the league’s best dual threats. However, there have been struggles as well. Over the past two seasons, Murray has missed a total of nine games. The Cardinals have only made the postseason once in his career. That’s when they were blown out by the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card round two years ago.
For Arizona, its future succession only hinges on the new — and very, very young — coaching staff but Murray’s willingness to embrace the new offense while supporting his defensive-minded head coach.
If those things fall into place, the Cardinals could improve quickly. Otherwise, it’s a long, continued slide to oblivion.
