In Tempe, Arizona, the Arizona Cardinals’ team is making decisions about their main player positions as they gear up for the start of the season.
Kyler Murray won’t be returning to play right away, as shared by Cardinals’ coach Jonathan Gannon. Because of this, Murray will sit out the first four games. If he doesn’t return within a set period after that, he may miss the whole season.
Another change for the team is that they’ve let go of Colt McCoy. This decision comes shortly after they brought in a new player, Joshua Dobbs. McCoy had been a key player, especially as the team was waiting for Murray, who was recovering from surgery.
I don’t think it’s anything he didn’t show us,” Gannon said. “I think it was just looking at OTAs and then training camp and the games and the full body of work, we just feel like this is the best way to go.”
Murray had hurt his knee last year and underwent surgery in January. He hoped to be back in action from the get-go, but he’s still uncertain about when he’ll be game-ready. Gannon emphasized the priority is Murray’s health.
Now, with Murray’s unavailability and McCoy no longer on the team, the Cardinals are considering either Dobbs or a newcomer, Clayton Tune, as their starting player. Gannon is holding off on naming who will lead, feeling it might give them an edge in their upcoming game. He did hint that they have a clear plan in mind.
Tune has had consistent practice, and Dobbs, who joined the Cardinals recently, has worked with some team coaches before. This prior experience makes Gannon comfortable with Dobbs potentially leading in the first game, even if he hasn’t played with the Cardinals yet.
Gannon appreciated that Dobbs was familiar with their game approach and felt it could be a big plus. “Any position is hard to come in and play right away and guys do it all across the league,” Gannon said. “I think just his familiarity of the system, the verbiage, those two guys that are really the main guys coaching him, I think that obviously helps him a lot.”
Regarding having an extra player for the quarterback position during games, Gannon mentioned they’re still considering their options.