Murray not expected to be ready for start of 2023 season

Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury conceded Wednesday that QB Kyler Murray (knee) "probably" won't be ready for the start of the 2023 season. Murray underwent surgery Tuesday to reconstruct his ACL and repair meniscus damage in his right knee. We're just about 8 months from the start of the 2023 campaign; this is an injury that usually takes 9+ months to return from. Early fantasy drafters should be operating under the assumption that Murray misses at least the first few games. The PUP list, which would cost him the first 6 games, is a real possibility. Kingsbury also said that QB Colt McCoy isn't playing this weekend to protect him from injury, suggesting that he might be Plan A to replace Murray early next season. McCoy is signed for 2023 with a reasonable $5 million cap hit.

Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill suggested in a Wednesday appearance on The Dave Pasch Podcast that QB Kyler Murray could miss a big chunk of the 2023 season. "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." Murray tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee on December 12 and had surgery on January 3. A standard 9-month timeline would have him back in early October -- but it sounds like the team is bracing for a potentially longer absence. It's an especially tough situation with Arizona installing a new offense under OC Drew Petzing. Murray should be considered just a QB2 in early best-ball drafts.

The Cardinals named Drew Petzing their new OC. The 35-year-old has spent the past 9 seasons working under Kevin Stefanski in Minnesota and then Cleveland, with titles ranging from assistant WRs coach to TEs coach to QBs coach this past year. Petzing has no experience calling plays at any level. It's a rather bold hire by new Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon. We'll see what we can learn about Petzing over the next 6+ months.

The Cardinals named Jonathan Gannon their new HC. The 39-year-old has been in the NFL since 2007, working his way from Falcons defensive quality control coach to Eagles defensive coordinator for the past 2 seasons. Philadelphia finished 2nd in yards allowed and 8th in points allowed last year. We'll see how Gannon fills out the offensive side of his staff.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Cardinals QB Kyler Murray won't rush his return to the field and will focus on getting back to 100% following the ACL and meniscus tears in his right knee. "Do not be surprised if we don't see him to start the season, or maybe even by the midway point," Rapoport said Sunday morning. We'll obviously be tracking Murray's recovery throughout the offseason. This latest news should give you hesitation in best-ball drafts, though. It's tough to like the Cardinals QB inside the position's top 12 in the earliest drafts. On top of the knee, Murray also faces the challenge of learning a new system when Arizona selects its next coach. And WR DeAndre Hopkins has been discussed as a trade candidate.

The Arizona Cardinals have fired HC Kliff Kingsbury. He went 28-37-1 across 4 NFL seasons that included 1 playoff trip: last year's loss to the Rams in the Wild Card round. The Cardinals sank to 4th in the division this season with a 4-13 record. Worse for fantasy football purposes, the offense sank from 8th in yards and 11th in points to 22nd and 21st, respectively, the worst marks of Kingsbury's stint in each category. QB Kyler Murray's Week 14 ACL tear didn't help, but his performance also fell way off vs. the previous 2 seasons before that. Kingsbury looked like a questionable choice from the start after a 6-year run as Texas Tech's HC that included a 35-40 overall record and just 2 seasons of .500 or better -- despite having 3 years of Patrick Mahomes at QB. We'll see about Arizona's next move, as well as Murray's recovery. The franchise will also be replacing GM Steve Keim, who announced Monday that he's stepping away to "focus on his health."