The Cardinals should be getting some major offensive reinforcement this weekend when they take on the Bears. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that both quarterback Kyler Murray and wideout DeAndre Hopkins are expected to play on Sunday. The duo practiced for the second-straight day today.
Murray hasn’t played since Week 8 while he’s recovered from a high ankle sprain. The former first-overall pick had guided Arizona to a 7-1 record before hitting the sideline, and while his rushing numbers were down, he was having a career year as a passer. Fortunately for the team, Colt McCoy has managed to keep the team afloat with Murray out of the lineup; the backup has gone 2-1 as a starter, tossing three touchdowns vs. only one interception.
Week 8 was also the last time we saw Hopkins on the field, as the veteran receiver has been dealing with a hamstring injury. While Hopkins’ yards-per-game mark was down significantly (at 60.8, his lowest total since 2016), he still hauled in seven touchdowns through eight games. The 29-year-old will now rejoin a deep receivers room that includes Christian Kirk, Rondale Moore, and A.J. Green.
While the Cardinals will obviously welcome back the duo with open arms, head coach Kliff Kingsbury made it clear that the team would still be cautious.
“We’ve just got to be smart with how we use him if he’s able to go,” the coach said of Hopkins (via Darren Urban of the team’s website). “Maximize him the best we can and make sure we don’t wear him out.”
“We wanted to make sure they feel good and ease them back into the week. [Thursday] we’ll have pads on and hopefully they can do a little bit more.”