Why Kyler Murray’s offseason has earned praise from Cardinals coaches, teammates

TEMPE, Ariz. — Because the Arizona Cardinals made their approach by way of their offseason program — spending voluntary OTAs and necessary minicamp putting in a brand new offense whereas attempting to get the newcomers on the identical web page because the returning gamers — one factor remained fixed: Kyler Murray.

The fifth-year quarterback, who’s nonetheless rehabbing from ACL surgical procedure to his proper knee in January, was a presence at follow all through Arizona’s offseason program, watching his fellow quarterbacks work from a number of yards behind the road of scrimmage and going by way of the reads as performs developed. He’d chime in when he felt it was wanted, speaking with the opposite signal-callers or working by way of a route with a receiver.

Murray nonetheless is perhaps weeks or months away from taking the sphere, however making his presence felt each day this offseason — which was a change from previous years when he’d spend offseasons figuring out in Dallas, close to the place he grew up — meant “every little thing” to new coach Jonathan Gannon.

“He’s been right here,” Gannon mentioned. “He’s been the primary one within the constructing, been right here after everyone goes, and I received to spend so much of time with him throughout … OTA intervals and simply seeing how he’s working.

“You possibly can inform he’s actually, actually locked in, how a lot he’s itching to get again on the market. He’s behind the huddles each play, so actually locked in and actually excited for his return and simply his entire course of.”

When Murray will return from the torn ACL he suffered whereas scrambling on Dec. 12 in opposition to the New England Patriots on Monday Evening Soccer, nonetheless, has but to be decided. Murray didn’t converse to the media throughout the offseason, which has been the group’s follow with injured gamers.

Throughout Gannon’s final information convention of the offseason earlier than coaching camp, he mentioned Murray is: “Identical as. He’ll be champing on the bit, I am certain.”

Though Gannon hasn’t put a timeline on Murray’s return, the common size of a rehab is often 9 to 12 months and depends on a lot of issues together with complexity of the surgical procedure, the participant’s harm historical past and their place. A part of deciding when Murray can return will probably be his consolation degree within the pocket and going through strain on a surgically repaired knee. One other half, and perhaps an important of Murray’s readiness to play once more, is his consolation and confidence in working, scrambling, planting, accelerating and decelerating.

Gannon has constantly mentioned that each time Murray is prepared, each bodily and mentally, he’ll return to the sphere. Gannon is a believer that being able to return mentally from an harm is simply as vital as being prepared bodily as a result of, as he put it, gamers get in “automotive crashes” for his or her career. He’s seen gamers come again from harm and never be the identical due to what’s happening inside their head. A participant’s mind, Gannon mentioned, needs to be wholesome, too.

However the group received’t decide on an precise return-to-play timeframe till Murray hits the grass as an lively participant for the primary time, Gannon mentioned.

One in all Murray’s closest buddies on and off the group, vast receiver Marquise Brownmentioned his former Oklahoma teammate has been rehabbing with a smile on his face – one thing that doesn’t shock Brown.

“I simply know the kind of man he’s,” Brown mentioned. “He’s a competitor so he needs to get again on the market so I do know he’s going to assault it as finest as he can to attempt to make it again on the market each time he can.”

Murray has impressed his teammates along with his strategy to his rehab and the offense.

“It’s been enjoyable to see as a result of it’s such as you get to see one thing completely different out of your man,” left deal with D.J. Humphries mentioned of seeing Murray within the coaching room. “It’s like, ‘Dang, I ain’t even know that was your make-up trigger I’ve by no means seen you do it,’ and now it’s like, ‘OK, I see who you’re. I get just a little bit extra understanding of who you’re and why you’re the approach you’re,’ and it’s been cool for me. I’ve been loving it to be round him a bunch.”

Added vast receiver Rondale Moore: “He’s been nice in my eyes.”

Within the meantime, Murray has been working to be taught the offense like everybody else on the roster. Whereas the offense hasn’t been totally revealed, what’s identified is it’ll be a pivot from the scheme Murray ran the final 4 years to an offense extra anchored within the run and has been described by Brown as “lots completely different” than what the Cardinals ran final season.

“He’s been nice in conferences,” quarterback Colt McCoy mentioned. “That is all new for all of us, particularly new for Kyler. Simply the whole operation from the second you get the playcall in your headset. Our thought course of final yr, we’d simply sign all of it out and circulate like that.

“Now, there’s only a completely different operation and I believe that half has been new for everyone, and Kyler’s performed an incredible job with that. He is within the conferences, we discuss lots, we talk, he asks good questions. The one factor he is not doing goes out on the sphere. He is doing all his rehab and getting higher.”

McCoy has been QB1 all offseason and is the presumptive starter ought to Murray not be prepared for Week 1. McCoy began three video games final season after Murray injured his hamstring and later tore his ACL, however was knocked out of his Week 15 begin with a concussion and didn’t play once more the remainder of the season. David Bloughthe starter for the ultimate two video games, wasn’t at minicamp, however Gannon mentioned he’ll be at coaching camp, which begins in late July. The opposite two quarterbacks on the roster this offseason are Jeff Driskel and rookie Clayton Tune.

“I like the place that room’s at and the place they are going,” Gannon mentioned in April.

By deciding to undergo his rehab in Arizona moderately than Texas — the group most well-liked Murray rehab in Arizona, the place he had his surgical procedure — Murray has spent extra time round his teammates throughout an offseason than any time in his profession. And that has led to some across the group attending to know him higher.

Humphries spent the offseason in Arizona rehabbing his again after injuring it final season. These hours within the coaching room with Murray launched Humphries to a unique facet of his quarterback.

“He is lots funnier than he places off,” Humphries mentioned. “He’s received lots of cool man, calm to him that he places off into the world, however while you get him by himself, he is fairly humorous. He is fairly hilarious, truly. If you get him by himself, however … such as you received to be one of many guys. He is not going to be humorous in the event you’re round — any of you guys actually — if he would not know you. We’ll be proper right here and we will probably be having a good time and you may stroll in. It is like, ‘I’ll discuss to you guys later.’ However it’s cool although. It has been cool to be round him and sort of see how he’s. It is humorous.

“I used to be a Kyler Murray fan earlier than. I am an enormous Kyler Murray fan now, although, for certain.”