Is Kyler Murray the answer for the Arizona Cardinals? Only time will tell. When the Oklahoma quarterback was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals, it sparked a new beginning for the fan base. In his final year at Oklahoma University, Kyler Murray passed over 4,000 yards and threw 42 touchdowns on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy. Kliff Kingsbury, who was hired by the Cardinals earlier this year, recruited Murray out of high school and had the perfect offense to fit his skill set. It appeared the Cardinals were destined to have Murray.

The Cardinals drafting the Oklahoma Heisman winner did start a little bit of controversy as the Cardinals supposedly already had a quarterback in Josh Rosen. The Cardinals picked him number 10 in the 2018 NFL Draft. Rosen, after Murray was drafted, was traded to the Miami Dolphins. In an interview with The Cactus, John Gambadoro, a long time talk show host for 98.7 Arizona Sports, was asked if he thought Kyler Murray would be better than Josh Rosen.  He responded with a resounding yes, “The Cardinals’ mistake was not that they traded Rosen, it was that they drafted him. I do not think Rosen loves the game as much as Kyler.”

The expectations for Murray are high even though he is a rookie quarterback, but when you are the number one pick overall for a franchise that has never truly had a franchise quarterback, you could expect that. John Gambadoro has some pretty exciting predictions for Kyler Murray, “I think a Baker Mayfield type of year 3500 passing yards, over 500 rushing yards high touchdown and high interception, Rookie of the Year.” What needs to happen for these stats to be accomplished?  Gambadoro says, “Offensive line needs to be healthy; the whole air raid has to work. The fast tempo of the offense has to work.”

Murray ended up in Arizona for the large part due to the hiring of Kliff Kingsbury. The Cardinals were criticized when Kliff was hired because at Texas Tech he had a below .500 record. But due to his offense and his offensive numbers at Texas Tech, he was able to land the job in Arizona. For this to work in the NFL, Kliff needed the quarterback that could rejuvenate not only the team, but this offense. Gambadoro describes it as a “match made in heaven if it works out.” A lot of analysts think that Murray couldn’t have landed in a better spot to succeed.

With this pick, the Cardinals might’ve found a way to give Arizona sports fans something to look forward to. The Cardinals through the years have had quarterbacks to rally behind because they were young and had a lot of potential, such as Matt Leinart in 2006 and Josh Rosen in 2018. But Kyler Murray feels different for Cardinals fans.

The Cardinals would be in charge of their future if Kyler Murray works out. “We’ve never had one here. You wouldn’t have to worry about drafting a QB until 2030. It would put you in the driver seat of your future if you have a great Quarterback,” Gambadoro says.

The Cardinals definitely rolled the dice when drafting Kyler Murray and hiring Kliff Kingsbury, but with patience and a little bit of luck the Cardinals can become true contenders in just a couple of years.