Kyler Murray’s OROY Odds Continue to Improve After Second Straight Win
- With back to back wins for the Arizona Cardinals, Kyler Murray has seen his Offensive Rookie of the Year odds improve
- He has been the best rookie hands down but he does have a bit of competition
- Will anyone be able to overtake him for the end of the year award or is it already his to lose?
Being drafted number one overall comes with a ton of pressure in any sport. Maybe more so than others, the pressure comes at an all-time high in the NFL.
Since being dubbed the savior of a franchise, number one overall pick Kyler Murray has lived up to the hype coming out of college. After picking up his second straight win, he has seen his odds for Offensive Rookie of the Year (OROY) shorten.
Odds to Win 2019 NFL OROY
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| Kyler Murray | +160 |
| Gardner Minshew | +250 |
| Daniel Jones | +400 |
| Josh Jacobs | +550 |
| David Montgomery | +1000 |
*Odds taken 10/15/2019.
Murray might have the edge at the moment but there is plenty of time left in the season. His +160 odds are the best they have ever been during any point in the year.
At his current rate of play they should continue to improve.
After leading the early NFL OROY odds, Murray saw his stock drop after Week 4. It was understandable. He was after all, coming off a one-sided beating at the hands of Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks.
Murray Has Placed Himself Amongst the NFL’s Elite
With questions surrounding his height coming into the league, Murray has put those concerns to bed. His NFL debut was a horrible one. At least for the first three quarters. After trailing by 18 points against the Detroit Lions and throwing for just over 100 yards, he exploded for 154 yards with 2 touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone.
Since then, he has carried that momentum throughout the rest of the season.
#ArizonaCardinals QB Kyler Murray makes a beautiful deep pass down the sideline, one of the hardest passes to complete in the NFL pic.twitter.com/N06sWToK8v
— Dale Doback's Fantasy Team (@DaleDobackFntsy) August 24, 2019
Usually, rookie signal-callers are compared to their fellow mates from their draft class. In the case of Kyler Murray, he has quickly proven that he deserves to be compared to some of the best in the league, not just other rookies.
His 1,664 passing yards ranks him ninth in the league. While his 153 completed passes ties him for third in the NFL.
His numbers are even more impressive when you consider that he has been the fourth-most sacked quarterback through six games.
Murray’s Biggest Competition
The Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback isn’t the only one having a standout year.
The Jacksonville Jaguars came into the 2019 season with a ton of expectations. A playoff berth along with an outside chance of a Super Bowl appearance was a reality for this team. However, after All-Pro quarterback Nick Foles went down with an injury, Gardner Minshew mania has taken place.
After he was selected in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft he wasn’t expected to see any playing time. Yet, with the Nick Foles injury forcing him into action early he has proven that he is an impressive player with a bright future.
His 1,442 passing yards and nine touchdowns on the year has been spectacular. What’s been even more eye-catching is his ability to take care of the ball. He has surprisingly only thrown two interceptions on the year.
Rich mans Baker Mayfield #Minshew pic.twitter.com/ZqMvrL1mr7
— Nik Bando (@bogeybando) September 20, 2019
In any other normal circumstances, Minshew would be a high-level threat to Murray and his OROY award aspirations, but these aren’t normal circumstances.
Nick Foles hasn’t been ruled out for the season. He is slated to make his return to the field in Week 11. Sure Minshew has looked great thus far but let’s not kid ourselves here, he won’t be able to out-play a SuperBowl-winning quarterback in Foles. Once he is back under center, Minshew won’t see the field at all.
The biggest competition for Murray will be New York Giants rookie quarterback Daniel Jones.
The sixth overall pick has been a blessing for a fan base that has been searching for a successor to Eli Manning. He has proved that the Giants regime made the right choice in selecting him as he has won two of his first three games of the season.
The first passing TD allowed by the Patriots defense this season belongs to the rookie, Daniel Jones! ? Let’s go!!! ? #DanielJones #DannyDimes #Giants #GiantsPride pic.twitter.com/e72PtIP67W
— Corey Sotomayor (@CoreySotomayor) October 11, 2019
With the exception of his pro game in which he only played in garbage time, Jones has been averaging almost 250 passing yards per game. The kid has talent and loads of it but he also has a disadvantage.
Since the Giants brass decided to start Manning for the first two games, Jones will continually be playing catch up for the rest of the season.
As long as Murray stays healthy for the rest of the season, his numbers when it’s all said and done should be markedly better than any of his competitors.
Best Bet
With Daniel Jones receiving a late start and Gardner Minshew mania coming to an end in the next few weeks, Kyler Murray should have his name written on this award already.
Nobody will come close to the level of production that he’ll produce for the entirety of the season either.
Don’t overthink this one.
You’re still getting plus odds on Murray. Take him to win the 2019 OROY award.
Hans Themistode has worked in sports journalism since attending Queens College, and has worked for several newspapers including the BX Times and Canarsie Courier, as well as writing for publications such as Fansided and The Clever. His work has also been featured on Bleacher Report.
