Arizona-Carolina may be battle of backup QBs
The Arizona Cardinals practice on Wednesday was changed from full contact to a walk-through.
The team didn’t have in-person media availability Wednesday either, instead meeting with media via Zoom.
Mark Dalton, a team spokesman, said the media conference call was ”walkthrough-related,” not “COVID-related,” though the team has had ongoing COVID issues.
Coach Kliff Kingsbury said last year’s Wednesday practices were “fairly intense.” The adjustment to walk-through offers more time to recover an extra day from injuries and become more fresh for Sundays, he said. That includes their next game hosting the Carolina Panthers, and looking to stay as healthy as possible as they move closer to their bye in Week 12.
“We’ll practice, but Wednesday, like I said, we’ll continue to be smart on that and monitor who’s up, who’s not and really try to get to the bye week with that in mind,” Kingsbury said. “After the bye week, after we’re refreshed and re-energized, we’ll take it from there.”
Among the injured key players, quarterback Kyler Murray (ankle), wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring), starting offensive linemen Justin Pugh (calf ) and Max Garcia (Achilles) are dayto-day, Kingsbury said. Also, their other veteran WR A.J. Green still is in the COVID19 protocol since he was placed on the Reserve/COVID list on Nov. 3.
Their longtime long snapper Aaron Brewer is out for the next few weeks with a broken arm, and OL Sean Harlow might be his emergency backup.
Murray said he’s made “crazy strides in a positive direction” with his ankle. He doesn’t like taking time off from practice, but felt Wednesday’s walk-through was good to keep the team close.
“Just to be around the guys, see the plays, see it on the field,” Murray said. “Obviously, If I don’t take the reps, it’s odd in practice, but just to be able to see it, I think that helps anybody.”
The Cardinals-Panthers matchup might have both team’s backup QBs as starters.
For Arizona, that means Colt McCoy for the second consecutive week if Murray can’t go on Sunday.
Carolina will be without its starter Sam Darnold on the Reserve/Injured list with a fractured shoulder on his throwing arm. PJ Walker will replace Darnold.
Kingsbury praised McCoy’s preparation, likening him to a coach. He cited his performance completing 84.6% of his passes, 249 yards and one touchdown thrown in their win over the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday.
“Just his daily approach. He’s one of the first players in the building, one of the last to leave,’ Kingsbury said about McCoy. “He’s the only one I’ve seen in there who will eat dinner with the coaches every now and then because he treats it like he is a coach and he prepares that way. So, when his number is called, he knows exactly where to go with the ball and how to move the football. We’ve been very fortunate to have him here, on a lot of different levels, but it was great to actually see his success actually on the field on Sunday.”
Kingsbury also spoke highly about the 2020 XFL MVP Walker, who signed with Carolina in March. He’s the second backup QB to start against the Cardinals since 49ers’ Trey Lance on Oct. 10.
“We scouted PJ coming out of the XFL, thought he played a really high level,” Kingsbury said. “Really liked him and I think we tried to get him here at some point. But smart player, cerebral, can tell he gets the ball out quick, gets to the right spot. He’s athletic, can move around and make plays. Anytime you have a new quarterback coming in, it’s a challenge for the defense. It will look different, and I’m sure he’ll come in and play at a high level.”
Kingsbury on RBs Conner, Benjamin
The Cardinals RB room has gone from
four to two healthy backs.
Their starter Chase Edmonds’ high ankle sprain against the 49ers and Jonathan Ward’s lingering neck/concussion issues opens James Conner and Eno Benjamin to be their number one and two RBs against Carolina.
Conner, who’s second behind Edmonds, has emerged as the NFL’s touchdown leader scoring 11 this season. Conner had his first three-TD game in Arizona’s second win over the 49ers.
“We liked what we had working with those two guys,” Kingsbury said. “When James has been the number one guy, he’s carried the load for the majority of his career there in Pittsburgh. This is an opportunity that he wants and we expect him to play at a high level when his number’s called.”