The Arizona Cardinals seem to have a real shot at returning to the NFL playoffs this coming season, thanks to the offseason additions they made.
They brought in edge rusher Josh Sweat from the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, as well as veteran linemen Calais Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson to upgrade a defense that was, at best, mediocre last season.
On offense, they have a nice quartet to build around in wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., tight end Trey McBride, running back James Conner and quarterback Kyler Murray.
However, Murray has not consistently shown he is a truly elite quarterback, and analyst Warren Sharp recently pointed out how bad his efficiency is on pass attempts of at least 10 yards.
“Troubling stats from Kyler Murray. His efficiency on throws 10+ yards: 2022: dead last #33 of 33 QBs; 2023: dead last #35 of 35 QBs; 2024: #33 of 39 QBs,” Sharp wrote on X.
troubling stats from Kyler Murray
his efficiency on throws 10+ yards:
2022: dead last #33 of 33 QBs
2023: dead last #35 of 35 QBs
2024: #33 of 39 QBs2022-2024 combined on throws 10+ yards:
dead last #48 of 48 QBs in EPA/att
#45 of 48 QBs in YPAthis despite the #7 lowest… pic.twitter.com/qKc9xw5M0W
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 16, 2025
On the surface, it would seem Murray is an efficient quarterback, as he completed 68.8 percent of his pass attempts and threw for 3,851 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season.
As a team, Arizona ranked 18th in passing yards, 20th in passing touchdowns and 14th in net yards gained per pass attempt.
Murray’s inaccuracy on intermediate and long pass attempts could end up hindering Harrison, who had 885 receiving yards and eight touchdowns but a catch percentage of only 53.4 percent as a rookie in 2024.
Arizona seemed to be on its way to possibly winning the NFC West but stumbled and finished 8-9, which meant it was at home during the playoffs.
Since 2015, the Cardinals have made the playoffs just once, and this coming season, the NFC West should be even more competitive.
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