Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray will be making his 2023 debut as he returns from a torn ACL next Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
You would think that given the surrounding circumstances, the Cardinals would treat Murray with kid gloves in his first game back.
But offensive coordinator Drew Petzing says that will not be the case.
“He’s healthy; he’s ready to go; and we will put him in position to be successful,” Petzing said, via Darren Urban of the Cardinals’ team website. “That’s always the nature of the franchise quarterback, and you see it around the league when they are very mobile, there is an injury risk associated with that. We have to manage that as all teams with elite quarterbacks do.”
Murray is one of the NFL’s most athletic signal-callers, so running is a significant part of his game. Even with an ACL tear in Murrays’ rearview mirror, Petzing still wants him to run just like he always has.
“Anytime he runs and gets tackled, no matter what the situation, from now until the end of time, there is going to be like, ‘Get up. He’s good?’” Petzing said. “Anytime you have a great player in that position, you feel that way to some extent. He’s so dynamic at it. He’s going to get tackled. That’s a fact.”
Murray was injured 11 games into last season. When he was on the field in 2022, he threw for 2,368 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 66.4 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 87.2. He also rushed for 418 yards and three scores while averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
The 26-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Oklahoma, was selected by Arizona with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.
He made back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances in 2020 and 2021. In the former year, he finished less than 200 yards shy of 1,000 yards rushing, finishing with 819 yards on the ground while punching in 11 rushing touchdowns.
The Cardinals are just 1-8, which currently stands as the worst record in the league.
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