2023-11-07 22:55:59
It’s been a long wait, but Kyler Murray is back.
Eleven months after suffering a devastating knee injury, the Arizona Cardinals quarterback on Tuesday was activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list ahead of a return to action on Sunday afternoon against the Atlanta Falcons.
Murray initially injured his right knee during a Monday Night Football game last December against the New England Patriots. The two-time Pro Bowl selection had ramped up his recovery in recent weeks amid Arizona‘s struggles — and now he is poised to make his return in front of the Cardinal faithful at State Farm Stadium.
Cardinals struggled without Murray
Head coach Jonathan Gannon on Monday said that if this coming week “goes well” for Murrayhe would replace fifth-round pick Clayton Tune under center for the Week 10 meeting with the Falcons. Tune received his first career start on Sunday in Cleveland — the Browns defense smothered him in a 27-0 victory, holding him to 58 yards passing and intercepting him twice.
The loss at FirstEnergy Stadium was the Cardinals‘ sixth in a row, dropping their record to an NFL-worst 1-8. Arizona has scored more than 10 points just once in its past four games and rank in the league’s bottom ten for defense as well as offense.
Murray’s return will add some dynamism to an offense that has sorely missed it in 2023, especially with the injury to star running back James Conner. Murray didn’t have a great 2022 season prior to its early ending, but he accounted for 66 total touchdowns between the 2020 and 2021 seasons, showing his potency on the ground as well as through the air.
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Kyler and Cardinals to stick together?
Much has been said about Murray‘s future with the Cardinals — namely, that many do not believe he will stick around under the new regime running the team’s football operations. But Gannon has pledged his full support to the former #1 overall pick, while first-year offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is looking forward to working with him.
As it stands, the Cardinals will pick first overall in the loaded 2024 NFL Draft. A fully-healthy Murray could net Arizona a few more wins over its final eight games — which would harm the franchise’s draft position, but perhaps convince Gannon and general manager Ossenfort Mountains to hang on to the 26-year-old.
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