General manager’s future rests with Arizona Cardinals passer

The performance of Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback Kyler Murray could have a drastic effect on the job security of Steve Keim

Six years have passed since Steve Keim became the general manager of the Arizona Cardinals. The executive got off to a blazing start, presiding over three consecutive double-digit win seasons at the beginning of his tenure. Unfortunately, three campaigns without a playoff appearance followed that early success, prompting Keim to take the biggest gamble of his career in 2019.

The Cards’ selection of quarterback Kyler Murray with the first pick of the NFL Draft was not greeted with unanimous approval. Keim elected to roll with the former Oklahoma Sooner, despite the fact that he had drafted another first-round passer just one year before. Cardinals fans who were on the Josh Rosen bandwagon had to change their allegiance when the club decided that Murray was the better option.

It’s a risky move by Keim. Murray is small in stature (5’10, 207), and there are those who question whether the rookie’s style of play will translate at the professional level. New Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury feels that Murray is a perfect fit for his “Air Raid” offense, so Keim put his job on the line to bring the pair together.

For the sake of Keim, and Kingsbury as well, the Murray experiment better work. The Cards handed Rosen the keys to the castle just 13 months ago but changed their mind without giving him a fair chance. The 10th-overall selection of the 2018 draft has since been traded to the Miami Dolphins, where he’ll have a real opportunity to show the league what he can do.

Keim will look like a genius if Murray carries the success he had in college into the NFL. On the flip side, heads will likely roll if the Heisman Trophy winner fails as a pro. The Cardinals’ GM has made his bed; hopefully, he won’t have to lie in it.