The Arizona Cardinals have officially opened the 21-day practice window for quarterback Kyler Murray, meaning he can participate in team drills without counting towards the 53-man roster. Come the end of this window, the team will have to make a decision whether or not they activate him from injured reserve or keep him on it.
Selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Murray seemed poised to make noise as the team’s franchise quarterback. His tenure got off to a blazing hot start, as he took home rookie of the year honors.
In 2020, Arizona found itself incredibly close to making the playoffs, but a late-season collapse prevented them from doing so, as they finished the season at 8–8. However, in 2021, the team did make the postseason, and while they were riding high, they fell short and lost in the first round to the Los Angeles Rams.
Ever since, the Cardinals have yet to make it back to the postseason, and the job security of Kyler Murray has thinned as of late.
The 28-year-old went down in the team’s Week 5 loss to the Tennessee Titans at home with a foot injury, and it was revealed that it would require him to miss time. Come Week 9, the Cardinals are set to face off against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, and Murray wasn’t listed as out until about an hour before kickoff.
While he was inactive, it seemed as if Murray was back on track, ready to start the following week. But out of nowhere, he was placed on injured reserve, forcing him to miss at least four games.
Rumors began to percolate that the reason why Murray was placed on IR was due to how the offense was functioning. While Murray presented the ability to keep defenses guessing with his dual-threat ability, it seemed as if backup Jacoby Brissett was manning the offensive side of the ball much better.
Under Brissett, the team was able to put up much more methodical drives, and players such as Marvin Harrison Jr., who struggled under Murray, looked much better.
With Murray’s practice window officially opening, the plot will thicken on what will happen at the team’s most important position. Current events indicate it will be Murray, but does head coach Jonathan Gannon really want to pull Brissett now? Only time will tell as we enter the final five weeks of the regular season.