Cardinals keep Murray on PUP to start season and cut McCoy

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray will begin the 2023 NFL season on the physically unable to perform list. 

That roster decision wasn't that much of a surprise.

In another transaction by the Cardinals on Monday, veteran quarterback Colt McCoy was released.

That move, meanwhile, was unexpected.

Murray is still working his way back from a torn ACL he sustained last December, and has yet to practice, so it's entirely possible he misses more than just four games, which is the minimum number of games a player must sit out when placed on the PUP list.

McCoy was expected to be Arizona's starting quarterback, but now the team will go with either rookie Clayton Tune or the recently acquired Joshua Dobbs for the opener against the Washington Commanders on September 10.

Since his 2010 rookie season, the 36-year-old McCoy has made 36 career starts - including six for Arizona over the past two years. He went 3-3 in those games, completing 72 per cent of his passes for 1,218 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions while being sacked 13 times.

He struggled this preseason, completing just 9-of-12 passes for 42 yards.

To add depth at quarterback, the Cardinals acquired Dobbs in a trade with the Cleveland Browns last week, but he did not play in Saturday's preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings.

Despite the season opener less than two weeks away, Dobbs appears to be in line to start against the Commanders over Tune, who was a fifth-round pick in this year's draft.

Dobbs was selected in the fourth round of the 2017 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and has appeared in eight pro games.

His only two starts came last season for the Tennessee Titans, and he completed 58.8 percent of his 85 pass attempts for 411 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for a 73.8 QB rating.