Kansas City Chiefs: Aaron Murray’s fight for No. 2 QB
By Natalie G.
There was a lot of excitement for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Aaron Murray’s family in the second weekend of May. On Friday, May 9th Murray’s older brother, Josh Murray became engaged to the Bachelorette Andi Dorfman. And on Saturday, May 10th Murray was drafted in the fifth round by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Josh was revealed on Monday, June 28th, as the winner of ABC’s “The Bachelorette.” Josh proposed to Andi after accepting the last rose on the reality show’s 10th season finale, but the episode was actually taped in early May.
“I’ve known for like three months now,” Murray said. “The finale happened the week of the draft, so we knew that Friday at the draft. We’re watching the (draft) and we get a call from them, like, ‘Hey, she picked me and I proposed and we’re engaged.’ That was definitely an exciting weekend. He gets engaged and then the next day I get drafted.”
Unfortunately, Murray was not among the 8 million viewers who watched the finale. Instead Murray was busy attending meetings at the Chiefs training camp. The Chiefs signed rookie quarterback Murray out of the University of Georgia, making him the fifth of six draft picks to sign on the dotted line. The total value of the contract is expected to be around $2 million for four years. Murray comes in with many experts believing he is one of the true steals of the NFL Draft.
As a successful football star at the University of Georgia, Murray finished his college career in 2013 with SEC records for completion (921), passing yards (13,166), touchdown passes (121) and total offense (13,562). However, Murray’s senior year was cut short by a torn ACL in his final home game against Kentucky. The major critique on Murray is his average arm strength and lack of size at only 6-foot-1, and 207 pounds. However, Murray does possess a high football IQ, the experience in a pro-style offense, and having played four years in a top conference, Murray certainly has all the intangibles a team would want in a backup quarterback.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has been known as a quarterback coach during his career, so the drafting of Murray could be a good fit for a team that is in need for much-needed stability under the center. Whether or not Murray can be that constant remains to the seen, regardless Reid is potentially creating a successful situation for the former Georgia quarterback.
At Chiefs training camp, Murray is locked in a fierce battle for the Chiefs’ number two quarterback position with Chase Daniel and Tyler Brady. The job of Chiefs backup quarterback is to be a presence on the field — to push Alex Smith and make him the best quarterback he possibly can be. Murray is one of the three players vying for the job, though all three players have varying skill sets. Daniel has a veteran’s presence and his performance against the San Diego Chargers last season has boosted his confidence. Brady has a great arm but must prove during the NFL preseason that he can be a dependable quarterback. Murray possess many of the same abilities as Daniel, but as a rookie fifth round pick, he will need time to get acclimated.
Murray, though, knows he still has much to work on. His accuracy issues sometimes flare up in practice, and his decision-making can stand to improve. Without improvement in both areas, he could have a hard time replacing a pro like Daniel. There is a possibility the Chiefs could keep all four quarterbacks. However, it’s clear that Murray is excited about the strides he’s already made, and is eager to show his growth during the upcoming preseason.
The easiest way for Murray to earn the backup quarterback position is with a big preseason performance. That is what it will take to beat out Daniel and Bray. Until the Chiefs’ 53-man roster is announced, Murray will have to constantly prove himself through the preseason or else instead of being famous for being a Chiefs quarterback, he will just be famous for being the future brother-in-law of the Bachelorette.