Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon gives update on Kyler Murray
The NFL is trending younger and younger with its quarterbacks. But Kyler Murray, who now is a seasoned vet, may be days away from his return to the field.
The Cardinals, as they prepare for a game against the Browns, listed Murray as a full participant in Wednesday’s practice. It’s the second week in a row Murray has been healthy enough to do everything in at least one workout.
As Cardinals fans know, Murray, the No. 1 pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, is recovering from major knee surgery. He tore his ACL in week 14 of last season and the Cardinals placed him on injured reserve on Dec. 14. Recovery for ACL surgery can take about a year, so Murray is ahead of schedule.
But new Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon hasn’t yet made a decision on whether Kyler Murray is going to be the starter this week. But the move feels imminent. After all, Arizona traded Josh Dobbs, the quarterback the team signed as Murray’s replacement, to the Vikings this past Tuesday. Gannon indicated that rookie Clayton Tune would be QB1 this Sunday, unless Murray is able to go. In the meantime, the Cardinals also re-signed veteran Jeff Driskel to the practice squad. He’s there, just in case.
The Cardinals didn’t make Kyler Murray available to the media this week. But Gannon offered his thoughts.
“He’s fired up, ready to go,” Gannon said of Murray. “He was really good in the team meeting (Wednesday). Put him on the spot (with a question), he was excellent.”
The Cardinals have until next Wednesday to move Murray to the active roster. A lot of times, such moves come on a Saturday, the day before a game. But here’s what might be in Murray’s way for an immediate return to the field. Since he was injured, the Cardinals fired head coach Kliff Kingsbury and replaced him with Gannon, the former defensive coordinator of the Eagles. So the offense is new to Murray and he hasn’t had many live snaps with it.
Drew Petzing, who a year ago was the Browns’ quarterbacks coach, is now the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator. He quantified where Kyler Murray stands with all the newness. His comfort level is early training camp.
“There are so many aspects of it, from an operational standpoint, from a decision-making standpoint, getting in and out of the huddle,” Petzing told reporters. “It’d be like someone playing a regular-season game on July 28th. Realistically, that’s how many practices he’s had, essentially.
“Getting him up to speed, getting him ready to go, that’s a big task.”
Coincidentally, Kyler Murray and Clayton Tune grew up in the same area of Texas, with both going to high schools outside Dallas. Murray won the Heisman after transferring from Texas A&M to Oklahoma. Tune played for the Houston Cougars, where he started 44 games over five seasons. The Cardinals selected him in the fifth round.