Much of the speculation pertaining to the Cardinals at the moment is centered on wideout DeAndre Hopkins, but the health of quarterback Kyler Murray is a key storyline to monitor during the offseason. New head coach Jonathan Gannon recently spoke on the latter, who is continuing to recover from a torn ACL and meniscus. 
The injury is expected to keep Murray off the field for at least the early portion of the 2023 campaign, with the team no doubt eyeing a cautious approach with the franchise signal-caller. Gannon offered a small but optimistic update on the subject of Murray’s recovery from surgery indicating that things are headed in the right direction early in the process.
“He was in Dallas with his surgeon [recently], and he’s doing well,” the rookie HC said, via Bobby Kownack of NFL.com. “They like where he’s at. He’s going to start doing some things in the strength room. He’s coming along well.”
Murray, 25, struggled along with nearly every Arizona player in 2022 as the team went through a disastrous campaign. The former No. 1 pick is under contract via the massive extension he signed last offseason, though, and is thus in the Cardinals’ long-term plans. Murray’s presence was a key factor in Gannon’s decision to depart the NFC champion Eagles for what is likely to be a rebuilding effort in the desert.
In the short-term, Gannon and the rest of his staff must decide on an interim starter under center until Murray’s return, something Gannon will have the final say on. Arizona has veterans Colt McCoy and David Blough as options, though the former has more familiarity with the team. In any case, a plan will be in place for the pocket passer tapped to fill in at the start of the season.
“Obviously whoever’s out there playing quarterback for us isn’t going to have the same skill set that Kyler has,” Gannon added. “So we’ll just tailor-fit what we’re doing with the offense around that guy, and then when Kyler gets back in, we’ll tailor-fit the offense around him.”
Doing so will present a challenge to Arizona’s offensive staff led by first-time coordinator Drew Petzing. If Gannon’s optimism (which comes after that expressed by owner Michael Bidwill) ends up being well-placed, though, a relatively short absence on Murray’s part could be possible.
Murray, B Young, Baker M, & J Manziel all won the Hiesman as undersized QB’s. But have we seen anything from Murray, Baker or Johnny in the NFL? I hope Young turns out to be a fun QB to watch, but history says most likely, he’ll be a risky high pick.
Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, Michael Vick. There are dozens of factors that effects a players performance, and size is a very small part of the equation. Baker mayfield was fine till he played hurt. Manziel was never going to be a pro player. Murray again is fine. If Bryce young plays qb and only runs to extend plays, he will be fine, when it comes to size/athletic ability. Will he make the jump, no idea… just ask “Full sized”vince young or Jamarcus Russell how easy it is to be a qb just by being tall.
We’ll see. Like I said, I hope Young is good. The league needs more good QB play.
Colt McCoy is fine until he gets hurt. Three games sounds about right. The Cardinals shouldn’t waste draft picks or cap space on yet another QB. There will be some good backup options cut before 1 September, as teams struggle to meet the 53 player roster.