With all the natural talent Kyler Murray has at quarterback, he has yet to show his potential of being the one to lead the Arizona Cardinals to the promised land.
Fans of the Cardinals are looking for the veteran quarterback to step up and bring them a winning season, but are wondering how he can accomplish that.
Let's examine how Murray will take the lead to enhance his production for the 2025 season.
4 big changes on the way for Kyler Murray
Moving towards more off-script offensive calls
Murray is expected to take a leap forward this season, and part of that leap will be returning to having more off-script offensive calls on the playsheet. This will be reminiscent of the Murray-DeAndre Hopkins off-script connection that was present when they would hook up on the field.
Murray, Marvin Harrison, and Trey McBride tested it in action at OTAs and Minicamp this season, and it went pretty well. Murray feels very comfortable calling off-script plays with the team. If they can mix in some scripted plays, there is no telling where Murray can take the offense.
More time with coaches
When the pocket collapses, Murray is one of the most electrifying quarterbacks in the NFL. This is due to his dual-threat abilities involving his arms and legs when he breaks from the pocket.
Murray will spend more time with offensive coorinator Drew Petzing to up his production with the team to better his results.
It's also significant that the Cardinals beefed up the defense, especially in the trenches, which should keep the pressure off Murray and fresh for their next downs.
Since the NFL has always been a league where the head coach and the quarterback get all the glory and all the blame, Gannon taking accountability is a big step if the Cardinals want to be the type of team they can be. "I don't think it's the quarterback, it's the whole team. Myself, it's the whole team," Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said back at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Kyler Murray wants to keep plays alive with his legs
The Arizona Cardinals quarterback has a quiet weapon deemed to be very important for their 2025 season. Last season, Murray was atop the league in rushing for 8.2 yards anyway he would carry the ball.
The former first-round pick is ahead of all 83 players with at least 100 carries on 7.5 yards/carry, since he returned in 2023 from an ACL injury.
He joins an exclusive club with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, and Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, the sole players averaging more than 6.0 yards per carry.
Looking for more durability
No one questions Murray's skill at throwing and running with the ball, as he has displayed his playmaking abilities annually. The Cardinals need him to show more composure from the pocket, stability, and the ability to make big plays in clutch situations.
It's not saying that Murray is inept to accomplish this; it's just the next leap he has to make. It's fine if he'd prefer to use his legs more, but those off-schedule plays that the Josh Allens, the Patrick Mahomes, and others make, separate them from quarterbacks like Murray right now.
While it's an overreach to label Murray an actual game manager, his offensive scheme, lack of receivers, and wishy-washy play have limited him to a particular role.