After a lot of speculation, it appears that Kyler Murray won’t be dealt to a new team before this season’s trade deadline. Per Dianna Russini, the Arizona Cardinals have no intention of making him available for other teams. Further, she indicated that the Cardinals do intend to have Murray make his season debut at some point in the coming weeks.
Although last year’s torn ACL has kept Kyler Murray off the field so far, QB-needy teams were expected to inquire because the Cardinals aren’t competing right now. When healthy, Murray has a strong arm, mobility, and a playoff start under his belt. However, a recent contract extension worth $230.5 million over five years may have dissuaded teams from taking the risk on Murray for financial reasons.
When Can the Cardinals Expect Kyler Murray to Start Again?
Arizona’s head coach, Jonathan Gannon, stated after the team’s Week 8 loss that Joshua Dobbs will start again in Week 9. Kyler Murray has to be moved onto the Cardinals’ 53-man roster before the team’s Week 10 game, so that may be the date of Murray’s long-awaited return. In the meantime, Murray has been practicing since October 18, which bodes well for his recovery. Gannon declared that Murray was “fully healthy” before Arizona played Baltimore even though he didn’t suit up.
Unless Gannon is lying about Arizona’s upcoming game, Week 10 is the optimistic target for Murray’s return. If the team is abundantly cautious about his return, waiting until after their Week 14 bye also isn’t out of the question. However, since they have to roster him by October 8 (if he’s going to play this season), letting him play that week or the week afterward makes the most sense. Especially if he’s already healthy as his head coach stated.
Joshua Dobbs will remain the team’s gunslinger while they wait for Kyler Murray. Dobbs has been the starting quarterback for all of the team’s games thus far, resulting in a 1-7 record. He has 1,569 passing yards, 258 rushing yards, and 11 total touchdowns for the season. Dobbs hasn’t been horrible, but he clearly isn’t Murray.