Head coach Jonathan Gannon announced on Wednesday that quarterback Kyler Murray is being placed on injured reserve as he continues to nurse the foot injury he sustained about a month ago.
The injury designation means Murray will miss a minimum of four games, and he won’t be eligible to return until Week 14.
The decision comes just two days after the Cardinals defeated the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football and snapped their five-game losing streak, in which Jacoby Brissett tossed for 261 yards and two touchdowns while also scoring one on the ground.
“[Murray] needs to get healthy,” Gannon said, who added how he likes how the offense is currently running with Brissett under center.
Gannon also mentioned that he expects to see Murray start again this season when his stint on the IR is up. But is that really the best move for the Cardinals?
The offense has looked much more fluid under Brissett, who has a passer rating over 100 with a 6-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio through his first three games as the team’s starter.
The Cardinals’ next four games are going to test Brissett, as they are all teams above .500 (Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This stretch will truly determine how suited he is to remain the starting quarterback even when Murray is activated off injured reserve.
As Joe Buck put it, players in the locker room don’t care who’s getting paid what, they want to win games, and it’s going to come down to how the offense looks with Brissett at the helm.
These next four weeks will either make or break the Cardinals’ season, as they sit at 3-5, having done nothing at the trade deadline. It will be interesting to see how Brissett navigates the offense going forward.