Did the Cardinals help Kyler Murray avoid major criticism this offseason?

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and the rest of his teammates may have pulled a strategic move this year.

When all of the Arizona Cardinals players and coaches got together and decided to reduce this year’s OTAs from 10 sessions to three, it was surprising given how abnormal last year’s offseason was due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Then came the news earlier this week that during a Miami Dolphins minicamp practice, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa threw five interceptions, and it set the team’s fan base into frustration. It was such a ruckus that some fans were ready to declare that Miami’s 2021 season is already over.

That’s kind of harsh, don’t you think? We all have to remember it’s just a practice and that is where it’s fine to make mistakes (just ask David Tyree how that worked out for him). But did Tagovailoa’s struggles result in a chess move from Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray?

Did fewer Arizona Cardinals OTA practices protect Kyler Murray from criticism?

Both Tagovailoa and Murray are in similar positions this year and they will forever be connected because of their head-to-head matchup in the 2018 College Football Playoff.

Murray has also had his leadership questioned throughout the offseason, including a rare clap-back response that resounded with many Arizona fans.

There’s no doubting Murray’s work ethic. However, it may just be a smart move to avoid having cameras and reporters at his workout site. With how much pressure that’s on Murray to perform after he and the offense faltered down the stretch in 2020, he definitely has to be feeling it while he prepares for the upcoming season.

There’s no right or wrong here at the time of this writing. The only way we’ll truly know is how it reflects in the Cardinals’ record in 2021. If the fewer amount of OTA practices results in a playoff berth and a deep run next season, then Arizona can keep utilizing this offseason strategy until it doesn’t work anymore.