Kyler Murray over Lamar Jackson, says ESPN’s Ryan Clark

A strong way to spice up a debate is claiming you’d rather take a second-year player over someone who just won the Most Valuable Player award.

That’s exactly what ESPN’s Ryan Clark said Wednesday on Get Up.

In a discussion centered around the disappointing play of Baltimore Ravens quarterback and defending MVP Lamar Jackson, Clark definitively said he’d rather have Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray to build a franchise with over Jackson in Baltimore.

.@Realrclark25 would choose Kyler Murray over Lamar Jackson to start a franchise with.

"If Kyler Murray, right now, was the quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens, we'd have much more confidence in them to win the Super Bowl." pic.twitter.com/kkxWwh0fQp

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) November 11, 2020

As ESPN cohort Dominique Foxworth’s reaction tells the audience, that’s quite the take to have!

The case for Clark is the dynamic Murray brings as a passer, particularly in regards to accuracy. Even when looking at Jackson’s MVP year, the argument is there for Murray posting better numbers.

Last year, Jackson threw for 36 touchdowns and 3,127 yards, completing 66.1% of his passes. Through Week 9, Murray is on pace for 32 touchdowns, 4,260 yards and has completed 68.1% of his passes.

The two are undoubtedly the best rushing quarterbacks in the NFL and boast similar numbers. Through eight games, Murray keeping his 2020 pace would result in 1,086 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground. That’s compared to Jackson’s 1,206 yards and seven touchdowns in 2019.

Now, the unanswerable questions lie in the system both play in. Baltimore deploys Jackson in a run-heavy scheme while Murray’s slinging it a whole lot more for Kliff Kingsbury. Murray’s on pace for 558 passing attempts while Jackson hit only 401 last year.

This season, there isn’t really a discussion.

Jackson has regressed as a passer, with his completion percentage dropping to 62.9% and QBR from a league-leading 82.3 to 61.9. Murray, on the other hand, sports a 79.5 QBR this season.

On the ground, Jackson isn’t even on pace to break 1,000 rushing yards. He’s at 469 through eight games.

Follow @AZSports