Kyler Murray Less than two weeks before the start of Week 1, the Arizona Cardinals have more information regarding their quarterback position.
Kyler Murray According to Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon, Kyler Murray won’t be taken off the physically unable to perform list before Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
Kyler Murray will miss at least the first four games of the regular season if he begins the year on the PUP list. In order to avoid spending the entire season on the PUP list, he will have 21 days after being activated to practice and be added to the 53-man roster.
A day before clubs must reduce their roster to 53 players, the Cardinals also cut quarterback Colt McCoy on Monday. Four days have passed since they acquired quarterback Joshua Dobbs through a trade. While Arizona waited for Kyler Murray to recover from ACL surgery, the first-team quarterback throughout the spring, training camp, and preseason was McCoy, a 36-year-old who signed with the Cardinals in 2021.
According to Gannon, the Cardinals considered McCoy’s “full body of work” and decided it would be in Arizona’s best interests to begin the season without him.
Gannon added, “I don’t think it’s anything he didn’t show us. “We just feel like this is the best way to go,” the coach said, “looking at OTAs and then training camp and the games and the full body of work.”
Kyler Murray had already stated his desire to return by Week 1. Later on, he stated that he didn’t want to miss any time but wasn’t sure how much practice he would require to be ready to play in the regular season.
Kyler Murray’s rehabilitation plan won’t change, according to Gannon, even if he is forced to miss at least the first four games.
The Cardinals will probably choose their starting quarterback between Dobbs and fifth-round pick Clayton Tune because McCoy was released and Kyler Murray won’t be available for Week 1’s game against the Washington Commanders.
Despite Arizona having a “pretty good plan in place” to choose between Dobbs and Tune as the first-team quarterback, Gannon refused to anoint one as the starter on Monday. Before choosing a quarterback, Gannon wants to assess each of them in practice over the following two weeks. Even then, he won’t make the starter known.
Going to Washington will provide us a competitive advantage, according to Gannon. But we’ll be able to identify the starting.
For the most of the spring, the entirety of camp, and the preseason, Tune led the second-team offense.
Dobbs previously collaborated with current Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork during their time together in Cleveland last season. Dobbs was traded from the Browns to the Cardinals on Thursday.
According to Gannon, the Cardinals had considered signing Dobbs during the previous offseason and had already done their research on him. They seized the chance to trade for him last week when it presented itself.
Dobbs’ addition provides the Cardinals with a “mobile guy that understands the system” who can also make throws and play both inside and outside the pocket, according to Gannon.
Despite the fact that Gannon acknowledged that “it’s never easy for a new guy coming to a new team,” he is okay with Dobbs possibly starting in Week 1 despite not having taken part in a single game snap with the Cardinals.
Being acquainted with Petzing’s plan is “very valuable,” according to Gannon.
In the league, players play every position, despite the difficulty of doing so, according to Gannon. “I think that obviously helps him a lot,” the coach said. “I think just his familiarity with the system, the verbiage, and those two guys who are really the main guys coaching him.”
When asked if the Cardinals have decided whether or not to use a third quarterback on game day, Gannon replied, “We’re still sorting through it.”