Arizona Cardinals: Top 3 reasons why Kyler Murray is a better fit than Caleb Williams

This time last season, if you asked me whether the Arizona Cardinals should move on from quarterback Kyler Murray following the 2023 season, I would have given you a resounding yes. Going back to July 14th, 2022, Murray was busy making a spectacle of his contract situation before he signed an extension on July 21st. 

Then came a disaster of a season for both Murray and the Cardinals, and a torn ACL ended the quarterback’s campaign early. Since then, however, Murray isn’t just excelling in rehab, he’s also matured and become a team player in the process, and it’s one of many reasons why he should stay in the desert over the projected number one college prospect at the position, Caleb Williams. 

3 reasons the Arizona Cardinals should roll with Murray over Williams

1 - Cardinals are hitting the reset button if they draft Williams

Drafting Caleb Williams means the Arizona Cardinals are once again resetting. And while many claim it’s a rebuilding season in 2023, at least we can say the Cards have a former number one pick at quarterback who has shown he’s capable of running an NFL offense, even if he’s underachieved in the process. 

And with his newfound maturity and seemingly team-first mentality, the Cardinals would be mistaken to give up on Murray after 2023. At the absolute least, he deserves at least one, if not two seasons to show he can excel in offensive coordinator Drew Petzing’s offense. 

2 - The Cardinals are already investing heavily in Murray

This is the primary reason the supposed tanking is nothing more than a myth. The Arizona Cardinals are investing way too much financially into Kyler Murray for one, but for another, they are also designing the offense to fit his and the offense’s strengths. 

It makes zero sense to invest so much time, effort, and money into one player, only to draft their replacement in the offseason. With the offense tailored around Murray, the Cards would be changing their entire system with Williams, which reverts us back to the top reason in this article: The Redbirds would be pushing the reset button. 

3 - The Cardinals would be better off improving other positions

If the Arizona Cardinals drafted Caleb Williams, they are sacrificing a chance to get better on both sides of the ball. Most mock drafts have the Redbirds taking Williams and receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., but if Arizona passes on the former, they can also snag the best defensive player on the board. 

A talent like Harrison will benefit Murray, and he will join a brewing cast of pass-catchers in the desert. Someone like Kool-Aid McKinstry, Jared Verse, or Dallas Turner would bring an instant upgrade to the Cardinals defense. By forgoing Williams and adding an impact player on both sides of the field in the supporting cast, those two moves alone would be a pair of major steps to strengthen the Cardinals roster. 

Source: One NFL team could choose between two Lincoln Riley QBs by Matt Zemek, TrojansWire.USAToday.com