Pro Football Rumors
NOVEMBER 7: Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort said (via Urban) he expects Murray to return this season. Whether or not he will reclaim the starting gig even if healthy is another matter, of course, and on that front Ossenfort added “a lot can happen” between now and when a decision may be required.
NOVEMBER 5: Headlines emerged Tuesday when Jonathan Gannon praised his team’s offensive direction under backup Jacoby Brissett, who will start in Week 10. But the Cardinals will have Brissett at the controls for much longer than expected.
Kyler Murray is heading to IR with his mid-foot sprain, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. This will sideline the Arizona starter for at least four games. It comes after some new information, per Gannon, who said (via AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban) he viewed Murray as having a chance to return in Week 10 previously.
The timing here is interesting, as Murray has been battling this injury since suffering it during the Cardinals’ Week 5 game. Gannon announced Murray was expected to return Monday night, but by Saturday, the team changed course and ruled him out. Tuesday morning, the third-year HC said nothing had changed with regard to the Cards’ QB depth chart. By Tuesday afternoon, Brissett was named the Week 10 starter — even if Murray could have dressed for the game.
Gannon was careful not to deem Murray benched when speaking Tuesday, as he pointed to the dual-threat passer needing to return to full strength. He repeated that today. Still, the Cards were seemingly ready to have Murray back for their Cowboys matchup. Days later, Brissett will be confirmed — barring injury — to end up starting for a sizable chunk of Arizona’s season. Brissett, 32, is tied to a two-year, $12.5MM deal.
Tuesday’s Murray update also brought a four- to eight-week return timetable. By placing him on IR, the Cardinals are veering toward the longer end of that recovery stretch. Surgery is not believed to be a consideration, but the former No. 1 overall pick’s rehab timeline will be extensive now that the IR move will be executed.
This will be the second IR stay of Murray’s career. He landed there in December 2022 because of the ACL tear he suffered. By the time he returned to action — midway through the 2023 season — the Cardinals had cleaned house, firing Kliff Kingsbury and GM Steve Keim. The Gannon-Monti Ossenfort duo, however, consistently praised Murray — chosen in Kingsbury’s first draft alongside Keim — and has stuck by him throughout its tenure. Murray, though, has not recaptured his Pro Bowl form from the Kingsbury years. This has led to speculation a Cards-Murray separation is coming in 2026.
Gannon’s praise for Brissett is certainly not unwarranted. As was the case during his 2022 Browns stopover, Brissett has run the offense better than the starter. Current Cardinals OC Drew Petzing was the Browns’ QBs coach while Brissett held the job during Deshaun Watson‘s suspension.
While Brissett has enjoyed an up-and-down career, five...
