Gannon wants Kyler under center more: 'We can take him to another level'

New Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has big plans for star quarterback Kyler Murray.

"If Kyler Murray isn't here, I don't take this job," Gannon told Peter King of Pro Football Talk. "I think this offense will look much different. This guy does things that it completely handcuffs you how you play defense at times. I think we can take him to another level and unleash his full skill set."

Gannon said that, unlike the previous regime, he plans to have Murray work under center in addition to taking snaps from shotgun.

"We're not gonna put him in gun all the time, I'll tell you that. We'll have two significant offenses with his skill set: one being under center and one being in the gun," Gannon said.

He added: "That's the missing piece I thought they had with Kyler. They were in gun all the time. When you're in gun all the time, you don't make the defense defend certain play types. Now, when you get him under center, the defense has to defend a lot more type of play types."

Murray, the No. 1 overall pick in 2019, spent his first four NFL seasons working with former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury. The duo enjoyed mixed success before Arizona fired Kingsbury after a 4-13 campaign in 2022. The Cardinals made one playoff appearance under Kingsbury, but he publicly clashed with Murray at times this past season.

Murray posted career lows in wins (three), passing touchdowns (14), passing yards per game (215.3), and passer rating (87.2) in 2022. The 24-year-old is reportedly not expected to be ready for the start of next season after tearing his ACL in Week 14.

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