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Instant Analysis: How Kyler Murray Fits Kliff Kingsbury, Arizona Cardinals Offense

How will Oklahoma quarterback and first overall pick Kyler Murray fare with Kliff Kingsbury calling the shots for the Arizona Cardinals?
Kyler Murray

Back when he was the head coach of Texas Tech, Kliff Kingsbury said that he would take quarterback Kyler Murray if he had the first pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Lo and behold, Kingsbury stayed true to his word and selected the Oklahoma product to start off the draft. Murray was one of the most electric and exciting players in college football, but how does Murray fit in Kliff Kingsbury’s “Air Raid” offense?

Setting Expectations For Kyler Murray With Arizona Cardinals, Kliff Kingsbury

What Is the Air Raid?

Before we talk about how Murray fits in Arizona, let’s break down first-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. Kingsbury comes from the collegiate ranks and ran the “Air Raid” offense during his time at Texas Tech. This type of offense has never translated to the NFL, but today’s game is more favorable to college schemes than ever before. Nobody knows if this offense can actually work at the NFL level, but for the sake of this article, let’s assume it can.

As its name suggests, the Air Raid offense is all about throwing the ball. The quarterback typically aligns in shotgun formation with four wide receivers and a running back serving as the skill options. Personnel obviously changes on a situational basis, but this will be the base grouping for Kingsbury’s scheme.

As one would expect with this type of grouping, Kingsbury loves to attack the deep part of the field. During his final full season at Texas Tech, leading wide receiver Jonathan Giles averaged 16.8 yards-per-reception on 69 receptions. This average shows that Giles typically ran towards the deep part of the field, and he was far from the only deep threat in Texas.

This deep passing approach comes at the expense of the running game. When excluding quarterback runs, Texas Tech threw the ball on 64.8% of all offensive plays during Kingsbury’s five years at the helm. This pass-heavy philosophy means that the quarterback needs to have the ability to buy time and scramble when faced with pressure. Opposing defenses won’t be worried about stopping the run, so the quarterbacks need to attack defenses on the ground. Back in 2017, then-quarterback Patrick Mahomes led Texas Tech with 131 rushing attempts.

How Kyler Murray Fits the Offense

Now that we know what Kingsbury wants to do with the ball, let’s break down how Murray fits within the scheme. In order to succeed in Kingsbury’s offense, the quarterback needs to have a big, accurate arm and the athleticism to take advantage of defenses on the ground.

Based on his college film, it’s plain to see that Murray is a perfect fit for the Air Raid offense. The most important ability is throwing an accurate deep ball, and there is nobody better than Murray. According to Pro Football Focus, Murray had the highest accuracy percentage on open targets 20 or more yards downfield. The Oklahoma product has an absolute cannon of an arm and is capable of hitting receivers at just about any part of the field.

The Cardinals don’t have the best group of wide receivers, and the offensive line is currently a mess. Because of this, it’s vital that Murray buy his own time in order to give plays time to develop. This is where Murray’s athleticism makes him so valuable, as he’s able to buy time outside of the pocket and deliver an accurate pass downfield.

Murray typically buys time to throw the ball, but he’s not afraid to tuck it and run if he can’t find a receiver. Fortunately, Murray is a very capable runner and has the athleticism required to beat defenses on the ground. Oklahoma’s designed runs with Murray were highly successful, and the first overall pick also is capable of calling his own number and picking up yards on the ground.

Murray’s Shortcomings

Just like any NFL prospect, Murray isn’t a perfect player. All quarterbacks prefer to throw from a clean pocket, but Murray in particular struggles to get the ball out with pressure in his face. He’s normally capable of dodging said rush, but he’s yet to prove he can consistently stand tall, take a hit, and deliver an accurate pass. Per Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton, Murray finished the year with a 51.79 accuracy percentage on throws against pressure.

This will be the biggest obstacle for Murray to overcome. Arizona’s offensive line finished the 2018 season as the 26th-ranked pass-blocking unit in the league, per Football Outsiders. The Cardinals still have time to add some pieces, but it’s hard to imagine Steve Keim rebuilding this line overnight. Murray is fantastic at dodging pressure, but he won’t be able to dodge every rusher coming at him. At some point, he’ll have to stand up in the pocket and start delivering throws while taking big hits.

Last Word on Kyler Murray With Kliff Kingsbury

It’s easy to see why the Cardinals selected Kyler Murray despite investing a top-10 pick in Josh Rosen just one season ago. Murray is a perfect fit for Kingsbury’s offense, and these two have the chance to transform Arizona’s offense into one of the most electric units in football.

Murray’s biggest struggle at the next level will be handling constant pressure in his face. He’s never faced an NFL blitz before, and Arizona’s offensive line is not good enough to give Murray clean, consistent pockets. Kingsbury would be wise to run a high percentage of plays with a moving pocket to try and minimize the damage Murray takes. Still, no quarterback is perfect, and the pros far outweigh the cons with Murray.

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David Latham, Managing Editor

David Latham, Managing Editor

David joined LWOS as an NFL writer in 2017. A passionate fan of Boston sports, Latham covers the Patriots, fantasy football, and breaking news across the league.

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