Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has always been a difficult player to nail down. He shows flashes of talent that remind fans why he was the first overall pick back in the 2019 NFL Draft. But he’s also one of the most inconsistent players in the league.
As a result, opinions on Murray vary greatly among NFL fans and analysts. Some claim that he’s a top-ten quarterback, while others are ready to group him with the worst signal-callers in the league. One analyst is completely out on Murray.
Analyst ranks Kyler Murray last among NFC West quarterbacks
In a recent article, Fox Sports analyst Henry McKenna ranked all 32 starting NFL quarterbacks leading into the 2025 season. He put Kyler Murray 22nd. Even worse, McKenna had Murray lower than the three other starting quarterbacks in the NFC West. According to McKenna, Murray “has no feel for how and when to use his tremendous talents to tip the scales of a game and generate wins for his team.”
That’s a harsh criticism, but it’s fair. Murray has not been able to put it all together and lead the Cardinals to wins. He has just one playoff appearance in his six years in the NFL. Simply put, that’s not good enough.
But, as always, context is important. Murray has played on some of the least-talented rosters in the NFL during his career. For most of his time with the Cardinals, the offense has had glaring weaknesses that have kept it from becoming elite. Whether it’s a weak offensive line or a barren wide receiver group, the Cardinals’ offense has never been good enough to support Murray.
Still, Murray has helped produce above-average offenses in recent years. In 2024, the Cardinals’ offense ranked 13th in EPA per passing play. Murray, while inconsistent, was about as efficient as fans could hope for. Arizona’s record was a product of their lack of talent on defense more than anything else. Sure, Kyler Murray failed to consistently lift the team to wins, but he was rarely the cause of their losses.
With Murray’s level of play and various supporting casts in mind, it feels ridiculous to rank him significantly below average. McKenna has some questionable quarterbacks ranked ahead of Murray.
The most egregious may be Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, who McKenna had ranked 17th. Darnold was a forgotten “bust” until Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell saved his career last season. He still showed plenty of the weaknesses that caused him to fail at his previous stops, but O’Connell’s system helped him to look competent.
In a telling move, the Vikings let Darnold walk in free agency, instead opting to roll with J.J. McCarthy moving forward. I’d say it’s a bit of an overreaction to rank a quarterback with one year of moderate success significantly above one who has been good despite poor situations for years.
Kyler Murray should have one goal in 2025, and it’s not to climb up quarterback rankings. It’s to lead the Arizona Cardinals back to the playoffs.