Gannon: Colt McCoy’s release a tough but necessary move for Cardinals

TEMPE — When you know, you know.

When it came to quarterback Colt McCoy and his spot on the roster, the Arizona Cardinals knew a change was needed, releasing the veteran signal caller Monday.

After watching him attempt 12 passes across four preseason series and a lot more in camp, the Cardinals had seen all they needed to see in the QB.

The cut comes ahead of what would have been McCoy’s third season as a Cardinal and what looked like a Week 1 starting nod after working with the first-team offense throughout training camp and preseason.

But at the end of the day, it was a necessary move to make in the eyes of general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon as they continue constructing their vision for the franchise moving forward.

“Just like with every decision, we look at the full body of work, evaluate our guys — production goes into that — and felt like it was the best decision for the team to move forward with the guys we have in the room to help us win football games,” Gannon said Monday.

Best decision or not, it wasn’t an easy one to make given what the veteran has brought to the table this offseason and under previous management.

“It’s tough,” Gannon added. “Colt’s awesome. He’s a true pro’s pro, that’s why he’s played so long. Having gone through this process in a different seat a lot of the times, it was a little bit different today. It’s hard.

“You know that they care, they put a lot of sacrifice and hard work into their craft. But ultimately, I think if you’re honest with them, they appreciate that and they know we’re going to do what we have to do to try to do what’s best for the team. These are tough days.”

With McCoy, who many pegged as Arizona’s opening day starter before Monday’s news, no longer in the picture, the Cardinals will likely turn to either newcomer Josh Dobbs or rookie Clayton Tune under center.

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