Kyler Murray: Knowledge of Cardinals offense will help reduce sacks, risks

Kliff Kingsbury loved his secrecy in his first training camp as an NFL head coach.

He didn’t like the results of a purposefully bland preseason of play-calling for the Arizona Cardinals. Now that’s no worry with the coronavirus leading to no preseason action at all.

This offseason was made uncomfortable for reasons outside the NFL team’s control, but the Cardinals feel good as they’ve advanced through a few weeks of installing and knocking the rust off.

“I’m very pleased with the way we’ve handled it offensively,” quarterback Kyler Murray said of training camp. “So far it’s been a much better camp than it was last year as far as communication, execution, preparation, all of it. All of it’s been better. I think it’s shown on the field.

“I think us, it being Year 1 and everybody just trying to survive had an effect on last year.”

But how the offense evolves around the second-year quarterback remains murky.

Murray has preached time and time again this summer that his evolution is all about the drop-back game. Cutting down on mistakes and having more comfort this season can take him a long way. Yet he also came back a bit thicker, a good thing as he inevitably takes contact on runs or in the pocket.

Understanding what Murray can get away with in the pocket with his speed took time during his rookie season. Learning how to avoid negative plays — he had 20 touchdowns to 12 interceptions — helped it become a positive-trending journey.

Moving forward, and maybe most importantly in Murray’s development, knowing the intricacies of the offense should help the quarterback who tied for the NFL lead by taking 48 sacks last year.

“There’s a happy medium when you can make plays with your feet of trying to do too much, not trying to do too much,” Murray said Wednesday. “I think this year, just finding my check-downs, understanding where they are, when it’s time to give it up and also understanding what the protections are, understanding what the O-line’s doing.

“I have a way better feel for that now, being in Year 2. I think that’ll help (the offensive line) out tremendously.”

We know DeAndre Hopkins will change defensive coverages and give Murray an ace receiver. Tight end Dan Arnold has the hype and will help him in the red zone. Any of the second-year receivers stepping up can give Arizona’s offense even more pop.

Another factor in the evolution of Kingsbury’s offense is whether Murray will run more or less than his 93 attempts for 544 yards and four scores in 2019.

The challenge of keeping the franchise quarterback healthy and keeping defenses worried about him is on Kingsbury to balance. And no, he’s not really telling which way he’ll go.

“I think he’s a weapon that can be utilized more, there’s no question,” Kingsbury said. “There’s that fine line of walking it because we know how talented his is and we know what he means to this team. We want to limit his exposure to getting hit as much as possible.”

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