Arizona Cardinals reportedly to keep QB Kyler Murray on PUP list

Arizona Cardinals franchise quarterback Kyler Murray will start the regular season on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Murray, who was placed on the active/PUP list at the start of training camp in late July as he works his way back from a torn ACL suffered last December, now moves to the reserve/PUP list ahead of the regular season.

With Murray sidelined to begin 2023, the Cardinals were expected to turn to Colt McCoy to start the season, but he was surprisingly released on Monday.

Newcomer Josh Dobbs and rookie Clayton Tune are in the conversation to start Week 1 against the Washington Commanders. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said Monday the starting quarterback job remains an open competition.

How many games will Kyler Murray miss under NFL PUP list rules?

Unlike traversing the offseason on the PUP list, where players can come off at any time, starting the regular season with the designation means Murray has to miss at least four games.

That means Murray will miss at least games at the Commanders (Sept. 10), at home against the New York Giants (Sept. 17) and Dallas Cowboys (Sept. 24), then on the road at the San Francisco 49ers (Oct. 1).

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has yet to give a concrete return date for Murray — when he’s “physically and mentally ready” — so it’s unclear if the quarterback will need additional time beyond the four weeks to get ready.

Much like his time on the offseason PUP list, Murray cannot practice with the team but can take part in team activities like meetings while on the list.

How’d we get here?

Murray has been on the road to recovery since going down with the season-ending knee injury in a Week 14 loss to the New England Patriots on Dec. 18 of last year.

After pre-habbing the injury, Murray had surgery to repair his torn ACL and meniscus on Jan. 3. The next day, the rehab process began.

While Murray admitted he wanted to take his recovery one day at a time during an episode of Cardinals Flight Plan, the signal caller set a personal goal of returning to action by Week 1.

Before getting injured, Murray had completed 66.4% of his throws for 2,368 yards and 14 touchdowns to seven interceptions across 11 starts.

He chipped in another 418 yards and three scores on the ground.

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