Kyler Murray says knee 'as close as it's going to get' to full strength after ACL recovery

Murray battled lasting effects of his torn ACL last season but just took a step forward

Kyler Murray started all 17 games for the Arizona Cardinals last season in his first fully available campaign since 2020, but he did so shy of full strength amid a lengthy recovery from a torn ACL. It has been more than two and a half years since Murray sustained the knee injury, but after the effects of the ailment lingered into last season, he said he is finally back to his pre-injury self.

Murray may never have quite the same strength in his right knee as he had before the Dec. 2022 ligament tear, though. He said to ESPN on Monday that the knee is "as close as it's going to get" to complete recovery and admitted that it will "probably never be the same as far as that goes."

"I feel like I'm back to where I was before that," Murray said, referencing the late-season injury in 2022.

While he played last year short of complete health, it was clear that Murray was more comfortable than upon his initial return in 2023. His 68.8% completion rate and 3,851 passing yards were the second-best mark of his career, and the 21 touchdown passes were his most since his last pre-ACL season. Murray also ran for 572 yards and five touchdowns, which both ranked second on his career ledger.

The next step for Murray is to play like his 2020 self, which earned a Pro Bowl nod and was one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL. That could be in the cards as he said he could "definitely" be more of a running threat this fall.

The positive update on Murray's health coincides with bright reports from his teammates. Safety Budda Baker squared off against the former No. 1 overall pick and Heisman Trophy winner in minicamp earlier this offseason and touted him as the most underrated quarterback in the league.

"He's kind of been in his bag this whole offseason, doing no-look throws and having a great offseason training camp," Baker said. "K1, he's going to run a little bit more. A little outside the pocket, inside the pocket throws. He's going to kind of do it all. He's going to get all his guys the rock."

There is clearly still some meat left on the bone with Murray, as he displayed in Week 1 last season when he earned a perfect passer rating in a blowout win over the Los Angeles Rams. He became just the second player in NFL history to achieve that feat while tallying at least 250 passing yards and 50 rushing yards.