After tearing the ACL in his right knee last December, Kyler Murray was always a longshot to join his Arizona Cardinals teammates for Week 1 against Washington. The Cardinals are prepared to make that official as they set their final 53-man rosters.
According to Ian Rapoport, Murray is expected to begin the season on the team’s reserve/physically unable to perform (PUP) list while recovering from offseason knee surgery. By placing Murray on the PUP list, it ensures he misses at least the first four games of the 2023 season.
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Complete ACL tears typically take anywhere from 10-12 months to recover from. Murray, being the franchise QB, won’t be rushed back to action. Especially for a team with the worst Super Bowl odds in the NFL.
With Murray set to miss at least the first four games of the season, Week 5 presents a matchup between the Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals on October 8. Murray’s injury occurred on Dec. 12. He wasn’t able to have surgery until swelling went down on Jan. 3. That places the ten-month timeline for Week 9 against Cleveland.
By releasing Colt McCoy following Arizona’s trade for Joshua Dobbs, the latter is expected to be in the starting lineup on Sunday, Sept. 10, in Washington, and possibly much longer. The Cardinals also have rookie fifth-round pick Clayton Tune on the roster, with David Blough and Jeff Driskel expected to fill out the final spot on the depth chart until Murray returns.
Related: Where does Kyler Murray rank among NFL starting QBs?