TEMPE, AZ. — As the Arizona Cardinals worked their way through their offseason program — spending voluntary OTAs and mandatory minicamp installing a new offense while trying to get newcomers on the same page as returning players — one thing remained constant: Kyler Murray.
The fifth-year quarterback, still recovering from anterior cruciate ligament surgery to his right knee in January, was present at practice throughout Arizona’s offseason program, watching his fellow quarterbacks work from a few yards behind the line of scrimmage and passing reads as plays developed. He would chime in when he felt needed, talking with other callers or working through a route with a receiver.
Murray may still be weeks or months away from entering the field, but making his presence felt on a daily basis this season–which was a change from years past when he took breaks working in Dallas, near where he grew up–means “all Something” by new coach Jonathan Gannon.
“He was here,” Gannon said. “He was the first guy on the block, he was here after everyone else was gone, and I had to spend a lot of time with him during… OTA periods and see how he worked.
“You can tell he’s really locked in, how much he longs to get back out there. He’s behind every team game, so he’s really closed off and really excited about him coming back and just his whole life process.”
When Murray will return from a torn ACL he suffered during a December 12 scramble against the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football, however, is yet to be determined. Murray did not speak to the media during the offseason, which is the team’s practice with injured players.
During Law’s last off-season press conference before training camp, Murray said: “Same. I’m sure he’s going to be a champ on the training course.”
Although Gannon has not set a timeline for Murray’s return, the average length of rehabilitation is usually nine to 12 months and depends on a number of things including the complexity of the surgery and the player’s injury history and location. Part of determining Murray’s return date will be his comfort level in the pocket and the stress on his surgically repaired knee. The other, and perhaps most important part of Murray’s willingness to play again, is his comfort and confidence in running, scrambling, planting, accelerating, and slowing down.
Gannon has consistently said that when Murray is ready, both physically and mentally, he will return to the field. Gannon believes that preparing for a mental comeback from injury is just as important as preparing physically because, as he puts it, players get into car accidents because of their profession. He’s seen players come back from injury and not quite the same because of what’s going on inside their heads. Gannon said that the player’s brain must also be healthy.
But Gannon said the team will not make a decision on an actual return to action time frame until Murray is on the turf as an active participant for the first time.
Marquis Brown, one of Murray’s closest friends on and off the team, said his former teammate at Oklahoma was rehabbing him with a smile on his face—which doesn’t surprise Brown.
“I just know what kind of guy he is,” Brown said. “He’s competitive so he wants to get back there so I know he’s going to attack it as best he can to try and get back there whenever he can.”
Murray has impressed his teammates with his approach to recovery and offense.
“It was fun seeing him because it feels like you’re seeing something different about your guy,” DJ Humphries says of seeing Murray in the training room. “It’s like, ‘Dang, I don’t even know that was your makeup because I’ve never seen you do it before,'” and now it’s like, “Okay, I see who you are.” Getting more understanding of who you are and why you are the way you are has been amazing to me. I loved being around him a group.”
Wide receiver Rondale Moore added: “He was just amazing in my eyes.”
Meanwhile, Murray was working on learning to abuse just like everyone else on the list. Although the offense has not been fully revealed, what is known is that it will be a pivot from the scheme Murray has run the past four years to a more grounded running offense that Brown described as “a lot different” than what the Cardinals ran last season.
“He was great in the meetings,” said quarterback Colt McCoy. “This is very new for all of us, and especially for Kyler. Just the whole process from the moment you get the playback call into your headset. Our thought process last year, we’ll point it all out and flow like that.
Now, there’s just a different process and I think that part was new for everyone, and Kyler did a great job with that. He’s in meetings, we talk a lot, he hooks up, he asks good questions. The only thing he doesn’t do is go out on the field. He does all the replays. rehabilitate and improve.”
McCoy was a starting QB1 first season and is the default player in case Murray isn’t ready for Week 1. McCoy started three games last season after Murray injured his hamstring and later tore his ACL, but he was out of the Week 15 start with a concussion and didn’t play again the rest of the season. David Plouffe, who played the last two games, wasn’t in minicamp, but Gannon said he will be in training camp, which starts in late July. The other two quarterbacks on the list this offseason are Jeff Driskel and rookie Clayton Toon.
“I love where that room is and where they’re going,” Gannon said in April.
By deciding to have his rehab done in Arizona rather than Texas—the team preferred Murray’s rehab in Arizona, where he had the surgery—Murray spent more time with his teammates during the off-season than at any time in his career. This has led to getting to know him better.
Humphries spent the offseason in Arizona rehabilitating his back after injuring him last season. Those hours served in the training room with Murray Humphries alongside a different side of the quarterback.
“It’s a lot funnier than putting it off,” Humphreys said. “He’s got so much of a nice guy, so quiet to him that he puts him off into the world, but when you get him on his own, he’s so funny. He’s so funny, actually. When you get him on his own, but… it’s like you’re one of the guys.” It wouldn’t be funny if you were around—any of you really—if he didn’t know you. We’d be here and we’d have a great time and you’d come in. It’s like, “I’ll talk to you later.” But it’s cool nonetheless. It was cool being around him and kind of seeing how He. That’s fun.
“I was a fan of Kyler Murray before. I’m a huge fan of Kyler Murray now, for sure.”