New Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon stepped into a quarterback quandary when he took the job in Arizona.
Kyler Murray suffered a torn ACL in December and isn't expected to be ready for the start of the regular season. Veteran backup Colt McCoy is also dealing with an injury.
Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill joined The Dave Pasch Podcast for an episode published Wednesday and said McCoy's unspecified injury would curtail the QB's participation this offseason.
"Colt is coming back from an injury that is going to limit him in the offseason," Bidwill said, via the team’s official website. "It's another set of dynamics that (offensive coordinator) Drew (Petzing) and JG (Jonathan Gannon) have to work through, and (general manager) Monti (Ossenfort).
"We'll see what exactly the plan is. That's not for me to figure out, that's for those guys to figure out."
So Gannon sets forth with Petzing to install a new system without his top two quarterbacks. Yippy!
David Blough and Trace McSorley each started games for the Cardinals last season, but neither is under contract in 2023. Blough is a restricted free agent and can easily be brought back. McSorley is set to be a free agent. With McCoy not around, the Cards will need to sign at least a couple of backup QBs to fill offseason practices.
Then the question will be who starts the season under center if McCoy's injury lingers.
Murray's late-season ACL tear means he's likely to miss the start of the season, but Bidwill said for now, the QB looks ahead of schedule and hopes to return before the midseason mark.
"I think (his return) is going to be earlier than this midseason, so hopefully, it's toward the beginning of the season, but I don't want to put any specific dates," Bidwill said. "There could be setbacks, the progress could slow. But he's a young man, it looks like he is a fast healer, things are going well. Let's hope that keeps going the way it is."
With so much money sunk into Murray and needs elsewhere on the roster, the Cards aren't in a position to spend heavily for an early-season stand-in. McCoy is set to count $5 million on the salary cap, with $2.5 million in guaranteed money in 2023.
