Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray is the best running quarterback in 2020

Kyler Murray is doing damage through the air but is just as dangerous on the ground.

The Arizona Cardinals were a team that some thought could be a dark horse playoff contender and the main reason for that is because of quarterback Kyler Murray. Give the Cardinals credit with Murray — they had just taken Josh Rosen No. 10 overall in 2018 but figured out quickly that it wasn’t going to work out with him. So when they had the No. 1 pick a year later, Murray was the easy pick.

It’s safe to say the Cardinals aren’t regretting that decision either, as Murray has been tremendous this season. He’s been a good passer, but where he’s really impressing is with his legs, as he’s the best running quarterback in the league through the first nine weeks. Yes, even better than guys like Lamar Jackson and Cam Newton whose careers have surrounded them being runners.

To this point of the season, Murray has rushed the ball 76 times for 543 yards and eight touchdowns. Last year he had 544 rushing yards and four touchdowns, so unless something crazy happens, Murray is going to smash that total.

Murray really showed off the speed in Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins, as he rushed 11 times for 106 yards and one touchdown. Any time he took off with the football, those watching knew he was going to get a first down or at least put his offense in a better position to get the first down.

Kyler Murray is currently eighth in the league in rushing yards.

That’s among everyone in the NFL too! He’s rushed for more yards than guys like Kareem Hunt, Alvin Kamara, and Aaron Jones through the first nine weeks of the season. While that could obviously change, a quarterback having more rushing yards than three of the best running backs in the league is telling of how good of a runner Murray is.

While Murray isn’t in the MVP conversation, he could most definitely be a dark horse candidate there for what he’s been able to do this year.

Finishing the season with 1,000 rushing yards is a real possibility for Murray and he’s already thrown for 2,130 yards and 16 touchdowns. He’s a budding young star and the Arizona Cardinals are going to be competitive for a long time because of that.