GLENDALE — The book on Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray’s path back from a torn ACL in 2022 turned a serious and seemingly final page last season.
Following an eight-game sample size in 2023, Murray started every game last year. He didn’t take it easy on the ground, either, posting 572 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 78 carries.
It marked Murray’s second-best single-season rushing performance of his career behind a Pro Bowl-worthy 2020 showing (819 yards and 11 touchdowns on 133 attempts).
But entering his second full season since first going down, Murray has the chance to finish that part of the story once and for all.
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“It’s a lingering thing. It lingered a little bit into last season,” Murray said Monday. “And now I feel like I’m back to where I was before (the injury). Obviously, my knee will probably never be the same as far as that goes, but it’s as close as you’re going to get.
“It’s just something you got to stay on top of,” he added. “The people that I’ve talked to, Year 2, which would be this year for me, is the year you finally feel like yourself.”
Just getting back to that pre-torn ACL mentality should help expand Murray’s reps as a runner this season. As usually, it should also help him successfully execute off-schedule plays, a big point of emphasis for the QB in 2025.
Does he need to post 2020-esque numbers? It would be nice, but it’s not an absolute need given workhorse James Conner and Trey Benson’s expected Year 2 jump. Get up to 90 carries, though, and now we’re talking.
More Murray on the ground would take some reps off of Conner, who is expected to have a hefty workload following a pair of 1,000-yard seasons. The more you can save Conner for later in the year, the better.
Getting Murray more involved in the run game would also force defenses to pick their poison that much more. Having to keep an extra eye on the signal caller in the run game opens up other avenues for the offense to exploit.
And compared to some of the quarterback rushing totals last year, where five signal callers had at least 92 carries, hitting that 90 mark wouldn’t be outrageous by any means.
For an offense that has added plenty of offensive wrinkles this offseason, more Murray in the run game just seems like a natural progression.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray turns on the afterburners during team work. pic.twitter.com/Q88ik2bNOa
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) July 25, 2025
Kyler Murray’s leadership continues to shine through
Mistakes have happened on both sides of the ball through two days of padded training camp practice, highlighted by three first-team takeaways. But for an offense looking to expand its playbook, the unit hasn’t blinked behind Murray as it continues to work on new wrinkles and push the envelope.
That can be credited to Murray’s continued growth as a leader and offensive continuity. The two offseason Los Angeles trips he planned for wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., tight end Trey McBride and the rest of Arizona’s pass catchers have certainly helped in that department.
That couldn’t be more evident than with Harrison and McBride, who are looking much more in tune with Murray through a week of camp.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray’s leadership is shining through even more in the eyes of WR Marvin Harrison Jr. and TE Trey McBride.
“He kinda has this perception of what a lot of people think of him. When I got here, it was the total opposite. He’s been such a great leader.” pic.twitter.com/3zuTNyqSQS
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) July 23, 2025
“I know he kind of has his own perception of what a lot of people think of him. When I got here, it was the total opposite,” Harrison Jr. said last week. “He’s just been such a great leader and talks to all the guys, uplifts everybody and it really brings out the best in everybody.
“And then when it’s time to turn that switch on, it’s time to go fast and go hard. He’s going to be the first one to get everybody going. And then obviously off the field as well, just bringing everybody together. He’s done a fantastic job.”
If the Cardinals are going to make a run like many expect them to this season, Murray leading the charge and having no lingering reservations about his knee are key.
So far, that’s been the case.
Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon is seeing a much more vocal Kyler Murray.
More on where JG has seen K1 grow as a leader during their time together: pic.twitter.com/60HVVJBXEj
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) July 24, 2025
“When things aren’t right, he’ll speak up,” Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said at the start of training camp. “The dominant (leadership) trait in his personality. He has it and it showed up more to me in the last year or so.
“He leads by example, he does everything right. I would say I’ve seen him take a step with not just being connected with the offense but with the entire team, which is cool.”
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