Cards’ Murray and the Reserve/PUP list
Barring the unexpected, there’s no new news to report regarding Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and his eventual return to the practice field and the starting lineup.
So, what’s the hold-up, you ask? Well, keep in mind that Murray suffered a serious injury on Dec. 12 against the New England Patriots in which he tore the ACL in his right knee during a non-contact play. He underwent major surgery in early January and had to get his MCL repaired as well, and the subsequent rehab process has been ongoing for nine months, almost to the day.
In his only interview with reporters since the injury, Murray said he had no timetable for his return and the Cardinals repeatedly have said as much. The only real latest development is that after missing Arizona’s first four games, as is required, he is now officially eligible to practice while remaining on the NFL’s Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform list — or PUP.
While on the Reserve/PUP list, Murray doesn’t count against the team’s 53man active roster, and he continues to draw his regular salary. He can participate in all team activities and meetings but wasn’t allowed to practice with his teammates. That process can now begin — once the Cardinals decide to allow it.
That isn’t expected to happen for a while longer, however, as coach Jonathan Gannon indicated over a week ago.
“He’s doing well, and we know the timetable of when he can return to play, but that doesn’t mean that he’s going to return to play and open his window then,” Gannon said. “We’ll get him going when he's physically and mentally ready to play and knowing that it’s going to take him some time and some weeks of practice to get comfortable with what he’s doing.
“I’m not in a hurry with that. I’d love to have him out there, he’s itching to be back, but we’ll take that one day at a time.”
Here’s what to know about what will happen next:
Under the league’s new rules regarding
the Reserve/PUP list, the Cardinals can let Murray begin practicing at any point during the remainder of the season. Once he starts practicing, Arizona then has a 21-day window in which to decide whether to activate Murray to the 53-man roster.
If he isn’t activated by the end of that 21-day cycle, Murray would have to remain on the Reserve/PUP list for the rest of the year. That isn’t expected to happen, however.
“Kyler is progressing physically, he is continuing to prepare himself mentally and we’re getting closer to that time when he’s going to be able to go out there
join his teammates in practice,” General Manager Monti Ossenfort told “Wolf and Luke” last Friday on Arizona Sports 98.7FM. “When he’s ready to do that, we won’t hesitate to do that.
“… We can see a light where we’re heading. I don’t think we’re quite ready to announce when that’s going to be, but we are very pleased with Kyler’s progress, where he’s going right now.”
Roster moves
The Cardinals made a handful of roster moves on Tuesday, signing punter Blake Gillikin and safety Joey Blount to
the active roster from the practice squad.
In addition, the team released punter Nolan Cooney and signed defensive lineman Phil Hoskins to the practice squad. Hoskins played eight games for the Panthers the past two seasons after entering the league with Carolina as a seven-round pick in 2021 out of Kentucky.
Gillikin punted in all 34 games with the Saints the past two seasons after joining the team in 2020 as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Penn State. He averaged 47.0 yards per punt with the Saints with 61 punts downed inside the 20-yard line.