Kyler Murray drops out of top 10 best NFL QBs
The Arizona Cardinals just made quarterback Kyler Murray one of the highest-paid players in the NFL with a five-year extension with $230.5 million in new money. Over three seasons in the NFL, he proved to be one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the league.
He is one of the best in his position.
But according to Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield, he doesn’t quite make the top 10. In his ranking of the NFL‘s top 12 quarterbacks heading into the 2022 season, he’s ranked 11th, ahead of Derek Carr of the Raiders. and right behind Dak Prescott of the Cowboys.
Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals took a step forward last season. As a team, the Cardinals reached the playoffs for the first time under Kliff Kingsbury, losing in the wild card round to the Los Angeles Rams.
As for Murray, his third season saw him complete a career-high 69.2% of his passes for 3,787 yards and 24 touchdowns, along with ten interceptions. He also posted an Adjusted Net Yards Per Attempt of 6.90, ranking him 11th in the NFL and also setting him a new career high.
When you think of Murray, his ability to create out of the pocket and out of structure certainly comes to mind, and 2021 has been filled with moments like this against the Detroit Lions:
But where he showed growth last season was out of pocket. For athletic quarterbacks like Murray, their athleticism can be a double-edged sword, sometimes becoming a crutch for the QB. Last season, plays like this show Murray fighting the urge to bail out of the pocket and instead using his feet to escape pressure points before striking down:
On this Week 14 play, you can see Murray start to slide to the right, but instead he resets his feet in the pocket and targets Christian Kirk on a deep through lane, dropping a perfect shot to move the chains to the fourth down.
This game also illustrates another strength of his game: the deep ball. Last season, according to PFF, Murray posted an adjusted completion percentage of 54.9% on throws from 20+ yards, second only to Tua Tagovailoa.
The Cardinals gave Murray a new contract this week that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL, so the pressure to corral his randomness and harness his explosive playing ability is high.
In three seasons, he was Offensive Rookie of the Year and a two-time Pro Bowl pick. He led the Cardinals to more games each season and took them to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Personally, I would rank Murray above Prescott and Lamar Jackson, ranked No. 9.
Jackson is a better playmaker with his legs, but Murray is the superior quarterback in terms of ball throwing.
Is Murray better at this stage of his career than No. 8-ranked Russell Wilson? Maybe.
But people can squabble over the rankings after about the top five.
With his new contract and still room to grow, what Cardinals fans are hoping for is that he can rise in the talk of the most elite players in the position.
Hear the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on her podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe to Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
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