Are the stars beginning to align in Arizona by virtue of Kyler Murray's healthy offseason?
Cardinals tight end Trey McBride added to the ongoing buzz in the desert during an appearance on NFL Network's The Insiders Tuesday, saying he's confident Murray can return to MVP form in 2024 based on his experience with the star quarterback during the club's offseason program.
"This is my third year with him now and he seems more motivated than ever," McBride said. "He's a guy who's bringing everyone together, we're throwing every weekend, we're getting everyone together. He's in the building first one in and last one out. He's one of those guys who's doing everything the right way.
"This is the most confident I've seen him. This is the first year I've been fully healthy with him -- he's fully healthy -- I think everything is trending the right way. He has a ton of weapons out there and I have full confidence that he's capable of an MVP season."
It wasn't all that long ago Murray proved he has MVP-caliber talent. That 2021 season was hamstrung by a midseason injury to the Cardinals QB, which halted Arizona's 7-0 start, and Murray and the playoff-bound Cardinals never were able to recapture the magic. Those struggles bled into their follow-up campaign until Murray's season-ending ACL tear put an end to a four-win season which ultimately resulted in a regime change in Arizona.
After spending the ensuing offseason rehabbing from that knee injury, Murray wasn't able to rejoin his team until Week 10 of the 2023 season. He started the remaining eight contests, throwing for 1,799 yards and accounted for 13 total touchdowns (10 passing, three rushing) while tripling Arizona's win total with a 3-5 record. Despite showing strides late last season, the Cardinals still haven't been able to win consecutive games since that undefeated streak to start Murray's best start to a season in 2021.
McBride's growth as a pass catcher in 2023 was a silver lining in another lost year in Arizona, however, as he led the Cardinals in receptions (81) and receiving yards (825) during his second season. The former second-round pick believes Murray has a great opportunity to fully rebound in 2024 based on the offensive weapons at his disposal.
"There's just so many different weapons," McBride said. "We have so many different guys on this team, so many different guys that can make plays. We drafted Marvin (Harrison) fourth overall -- he's a freak of nature. He's a guy that's going to take a lot of coverage. Then you got guys like (Greg) Dortch, Michael Wilson, Zay Jones, myself, James Conner -- there's so many guys that can be explosive and make plays in this offense. I'm just eager to get out on the field and see how the coaches utilize us all."
Murray also has the benefit of having a year under his belt in offensive coordinator Drew Petzing's system going into 2024, which furthers McBride's confidence in the offense.
"I think he's a remarkable coach," he said. "He's so good at scheming up defenses, getting guys open. The way he calls the offense and the way he calls the game is very promising. You know exactly what you're going to get from him, you know what he's going to do, and like Kyler said, he's a very smart coach -- he's a genius is what he said -- but I think it's awesome. He's able to get so many guys open in so many different ways. It's a lot of fun to play for him."
NFL Network's Judy Battista lists Murray as an early dark horse MVP candidate for the 2024 season, and the Cardinals' outlook will no doubt be based on how he performs with a major knee injury now behind him. McBride is doing his part to be a contributor to Murray's resurgence, which would quickly upgrade Arizona from sleeper to contender this upcoming season.
"I think we're a tough, physical football team that no one can really count out," McBride said. "We don't get the respect that we deserve, I feel like, but it's good to be under the radar because no one's really expecting us to do anything. I think we have a great team, a great offense, and I'm super excited to see where this team can go this year."
