Arizona Quarterback Stuck in Neutral: Examining the Quarterbacks Struggles to Evolve

You have so much potential. That is a sentence that many have heard before. The thing about that sentence is that it doesn't actually mean anything. Anyone can have potential, but not everyone can execute. That is Kyler Murray's problem. He has all the potential in the world, but he fails to perform when it matters most. 

Giving Him the Tools to Succeed

Kyler Murray has had one playoff appearance in six postseasons. Among these seasons, he has had some of the most explosive wide receivers the league has ever seen. From the 2020 season to the 2022 season, he had DeAndre Hopkins as his target. DeAndre Hopkins has had seven seasons with more than 1000 receiving yards and is a sensational wide receiver. However, Kyler Murray was only able to take the team to the playoffs once in Hopkins' tenure, where the Cardinals lost to the Rams in a Wild Card game 11-34. Murray was given other options, too. Having Marvin Harrison Jr. added last year has not yet helped generate another playoff appearance either. The only time the Cardinals made it to the playoffs in Murray's tenure was when Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury led them. Kingsbury was fired after the 2022 season, after barely winning any games. Kyler Murray was not blamed for this, even though he only had 2368 passing yards that season. The Cardinals fired Kingsbury, and three seasons later, the Cardinals are still seeing the same problems.

Lack of Wins

Since Kyler Murray has joined the Cardinals, they have had a record of 38 wins, 48 losses, and one tie. This is not a solid record at all. It does not matter how many touchdowns you have in a season or how many passing yards you have if you can't win games that matter. Murray needs to figure out a way to win because, at the end of the day, that is all that matters.

Cardinals fans love Kyler Murray because they see lots of potential in him. They know he is talented and can be amazing for the team. However, he has not been amazing for the Cardinals. Cardinals fans want a quarterback who wins, not a talented quarterback who could be amazing. Kyler Murray has been injured since last week and will likely not play this week. When he comes back, he will need to prove that he can win with this football team. Otherwise, it may be time for the Cardinals to move on from him.