Murray will succeed because of Hudson
Mason Cole, the previous starting center for the Cardinals, was just as frustrating as former kicker Chandler Catanzaro. Rodney Hudson taking over in the middle of Arizona’s offensive line is so refreshing, as he is an NFL center who knows how to actually become an anchor and not a liability.
Hudson has the experience that Cole never had and playing in the AFC West with the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders, where the defensive lines were pretty stout, also gives Hudson an advantage.
Another thing that Kyler Murray won’t have to worry about is that Hudson can call his own protections and be the quarterback of the offensive line.
Preventing leaks in the A-gaps of the offensive line is huge. Technically, Cole only gave up 1.5 sacks last season, but he was terrible when it came to run blocking.
When former Cardinals running back Kenyan Drake carried the ball last year, he was stopped behind the line of scrimmage 20 percent of the time. We all know that a team’s run-to-pass ratio is so important for play-calling. When Arizona’s running backs couldn’t run the ball effectively in 2020, opponents locked in on Murray to make his life a nightmare.
All of these factors listed above will make a difference for Murray in 2021, who will have more time to pass the ball and better support from his rushing attack.