Cardinals TE shares bold prediction about QB Kyler Murray

NFL Media's Judy Battista isn't the only noteworthy individual who believes Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray could compete for regular-season Most Valuable Player Award honors through January 2025.

"He's a guy who's bringing everyone together, we're throwing every weekend, we're getting everyone together," Cardinals tight end Trey McBride said about Murray during Tuesday's edition of NFL Network's "The Insiders" program, as shared by Michael Baca of the league's website. "He's in the building, first one in and last one out. He's one of those guys who's doing everything the right way. This is the most confident I've seen him. ...He has a ton of weapons out there and I have full confidence that he's capable of an MVP season."

Murray missed the start of his first campaign working with head coach Jonathan Gannon and offensive coordinator Drew Petzing while recovering from a serious knee injury the signal-caller suffered in December 2022. 

Across eight starts this past season, Murray completed 65.7 percent of 268 pass attempts for 1,799 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. The 26-year-old also contributed 244 rushing yards and three additional scores.

The Cardinals gave Murray some needed help when they selected Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. with the fourth overall pick of this year's draft. McBride sounds confident that Petzing will help Murray thrive with Harrison beginning in September.

"He's so good at scheming up defenses, getting guys open," McBride said about Petzing. "The way he calls the offense and the way he calls the game is very promising. You know exactly what you're going to get from him, you know what he's going to do, and like Kyler said, he's a very smart coach -- he's a genius is what he said -- but I think it's awesome. He's able to get so many guys open in so many different ways. It's a lot of fun to play for him."

As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Murray as a +5000 betting underdog to win the MVP Award for this coming season. That outlet also had the 2024 Cardinals at +300 odds to make the playoffs.

"We don't get the respect that we deserve, I feel like, but it's good to be under the radar because no one's really expecting us to do anything," McBride added during the show segment. "I think we have a great team, a great offense, and I'm super excited to see where this team can go this year."