Kyler Murray has bulked up this offseason

One of the concerns surrounding Kyler Murray coming out of college was that he may be too small to succeed as a quarterback in the NFL, and he continues to address that heading into his second season.

While Murray is still listed at the same 207-pound weight he was listed at in college, teammates say he has bulked up this offseason. Wide receiver Christian Kirk said this week that Murray “gets after it” in the weight room and has gotten visibly stronger over the past several months. Murray wouldn’t put a number on how much weight he has gained, however.

“I didn’t try to go in the weight room to put on weight,” he said, via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. “I just think it’s the maturation of getting older, working out. It just happened. I didn’t go into the offseason saying I need to put on 10 pounds, or however many pounds I put on. That’ll always be who I am, I pride myself on working hard.”

Cardinals star pass-rusher Chandler Jones joked that Murray has a nice tan going in addition to looking beefier.

“But he’s definitely bulked up and that’ll be good for him, especially in this league,” Jones said. “There is no quarterback that goes through games without being sacked. That’s just the way it goes. When he has a little more meat on his bones, he can take hits.”

Murray can’t change his height (he’s only 5-foot-10), but added muscle should help in the durability department. We know of another young quarterback who is hoping shedding a few pounds will help him enjoy a breakout year, so Murray is going the opposite route. The addition of DeAndre Hopkins should also help a great deal.

Between the new physique and his team’s revamped offense, Murray has all the tools in place for a big second season.