LA Rams rival Cards QB Kyler Murray feeling the desert heat already
By Bret Stuter
The LA Rams have a lot of challenges to face and overcome in the 2023 NFL season, And for the most part, those challenges have not escaped the view of Rams fans. Whether optimistic or not, the LA Rams fan acknowledges the challenges ahead and give their best speculative estimation of how well the team will perform.
But the NFC West appears to be an NFL Division that has a great deal of uncertainty for the 2023 NFL season. Even the front-runner San Francisco 49ers are subject to speculation over the team's quarterback situation. The runner-up Seattle Seahawks suddenly catapult from a fourth-place schedule in the division and arguably have the toughest schedule in the division.
And then there are the Arizona Cardinals, a team with a new General Manager and Head Coach, who must take a step in a positive direction with quarterback Kyler Murray in a new offense, and somehow improve upon a 4-13 record. There are those who believe that won't happen.
Desert heat is on Kyler Murray now
While the Arizona Cardinals had done everything possible to promote quarterback Kyler Murray as the next best thing since sliced bread, his results on the football field have not matched his lofty hype or salary. While there are those who passionately argue that wins and losses are not among quarterback statistics, the fact that Kyler Murray is a veteran NFL quarterback who will earn over $50 million in 2024, while only holding a record of 25-31-1 is a bit difficult to reconcile.
The first area of concern starts with the fact that Murray has missed nine of the past 36 games due to injury. Is he, as many have asserted regarding dual-threat quarterbacks, wearing out? But there is more to concern the Cardinals offense than that.
One of the most valuable aspects with a running quarterback is the fact that defenses must commit eight defenders in the box to defend the run. That should open up the deep passing game. Well, as long as the quarterback can throw the long bomb.
But sometimes, as is the case with Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, they cannot:
That's a problem. And it's a problem that many expect the Cardinals to resolve in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Rams and Cardinals heated competition with a new wrinkle
The problem with that is the fact that many assume that the LA Rams are eyeing up the same draft to replenish their own quarterback room. While former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett brings a lot to the table for the Rams offense, does he hold the keys to the future of the franchise exclusively? I don't think that he does at the moment.
Right now, I believe that the 2024 NFL Draft class holds an abundance of rookie quarterback talent, and that if both the LA Rams and Arizona Cardinals struggle this season, both teams are likely to find suitable passers to lead them into the future. The Rams are preparing for the time after veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Now the belief is becoming more and more commonplace that the Arizona Cardinals are seeking ways to move on from quarterback Kyler Murray, and the 2023 NFL season results will reveal their hand. If the Cardinals struggle this season, many believe that their new front office will cut ties with Murray