Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray remains a polarizing figure with this fanbase, a trend that will continue until he proves his worth on the field. Murray showed us in the past that he can be a showstopper, but a poor 2022 coinciding with a number of immature antics caused many of us, myself included, to lose faith in the former first overall pick.
Since Murray tore his ACL, however, he’s been a leader in the locker room and even on the sideline, doing what he can to help both himself and the team. In a caption on the quarterback’s TikTok account, Murray posted the following:
""I tore my ACL 8 months ago. This is the only major injury I've had. I've never missed the game like this. I'm itching to get back. You learn a lot about yourself in these types of moments. To those of you who ride with me, support me, speak up for me, I appreciate you more than you'll ever know. I won't let us down. Soon.""Kyler Murray
Source: KI TikTok.com - Music Credit: The Mighty Rio Grande (Concept) by This Will Destroy You
Is Kyler Murray on the brink of returning to the Arizona Cardinals?
Not only does it look like Murray rediscovered his passion for the game, but we can all agree that the Cardinals could easily be 2-0 if they had Murray lining up at quarterback. He would have made enough plays to steal a win over the Washington Commanders in Week 1, and there was no way the offense would have stalled like they did in Week 2.
But, there are still many winnable games on the schedule, including two outings against the Los Angeles Rams (who just traded running back Cam Akers), contests against three AFC North teams who look like they are going nowhere this year, and a tilt against the Houston Texans, whose draft pick the Redbirds have.
Sure, this week’s game vs. the Dallas Cowboys will hurt, and the Cards also have another contest coming up against the San Francisco 49ers. More likely than not, they will be 0-4 when Murray will be eligible to return from the PUP list.
At 0-4, you can consider 2023 to be a lost season as far as making the playoffs go. But if Murray returns in time for Week 5, then he could at least lead the Arizona Cardinals to perhaps five wins in the final 13 games and lift them from dormancy. And that will be more than what the Texans, Chicago Bears (another team the Cards will play), and Carolina Panthers can hope for this season.