NFL
Source: With Lateral Explosion Back, Kyler Murray Fully Healthy Heading Into 2024
Kyle Odegard has been a professional journalist for two decades, with three years of experience in the sports betting industry. He was a beat writer for the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals from 2013-2021 and previously covered MLB, NFL, NBA, college football and more for the East Valley Tribune newspaper in Tempe, Arizona. Kyle has broken multiple national stories about the Arizona Cardinals and his work has been referenced by numerous publications, including Sports Illustrated, the Daily Mail, the New York Post, Yahoo!, FOX News, MSN, the Arizona Republic and Pro Football Talk.
Get to know Kyle Odegard betterPublished23 Jul 2024
Kyler Murray stepped onto the field for his first post-ACL game action against the Falcons in Week 10 of 2023, and it looked like he had never left.
The Cardinals’ star quarterback quieted concerns about his knee that afternoon, using a Houdini-like scramble on third-and-10 to kickstart a game-winning drive.
He reached 20.17 mph on the run, 13th-fastest in the league that week, and finished among the top-20 fastest ballcarriers in the NFL three other times in the eight games he played in 2023.
Look at Kyler run away from that DB. In his first game back from a torn ACL! pic.twitter.com/sp0UI1S4Bs
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) November 13, 2023
But while Murray was more explosive than most coming back from an ACL, he was never 100% last season, a source close to the quarterback told Sportscasting.com.
It usually takes about 18 months to make a full recovery from a torn ACL, and that was indeed Murray’s timeline.
While the straight-line speed was evident, Murray’s lateral quickness was diminished throughout the season.
“Last year you didn’t see the cutting or the shake-and-bake,” the source said. “Expect to see it again moving forward.”
Murray’s Explosiveness Should Help Cardinals’ Run-Heavy Offense
Murray averaged 5.5 yards per carry and 30.5 rushing yards per game in 2023, numbers that still put him among the most mobile quarterbacks in the NFL, but were lower than his career averages of 5.8 yards per tote and 37.7 rush yards per game.
Murray had his ACL surgery in early January of 2023, which was 19 months ago. The Cardinals kick off training camp practices on Wednesday, and he will take the field in full health once again.
The Cardinals are expected to be run-heavy in 2024, and Murray will be a major part of it, especially now that his lateral agility is on the same plane as his straight-line speed.
Arizona found an offensive groove down the stretch of 2023 and then had a talent infusion this offseason, headlined by the addition of Marvin Harrison, Jr.
And now with Murray back to prior form, the Cardinals offense could be better than projected.
