Kyler Murray Placed on IR By Cardinals with Foot Injury, Jacoby Brissett Will Be QB1

The Arizona Cardinals are placing quarterback Kyler Murray on injured reserve with a mid-foot sprain.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon cited the overriding need for Murray to get “fully healthy.”

Murray was held out for a third straight game in Week 9, a 27-17 win over the Dallas Cowboys, as he recovered from a foot injury.

“He is getting better,” Gannon told reporters on Nov. 1 before the Dallas game. “He’s had some more work this last week, but like I said, he’s just not ready to go yet. But as far as, obviously, that position’s a little bit different because you got to have a plan ready. That’s why I’m just saying [Jacoby Brissett] is starting, but if [Murray] can have a role, he can have a role, but you take it one day at a time. But I know he wants to be out there and he is doing everything he can. It’s just he’s not quite there yet.”

In his absence, Brissett has gone 1-2 as the starter, throwing for 860 yards, six touchdowns and one interception in those contests.

Murray, 28, led the Cardinals to a 2-3 record before his foot injury, throwing for 962 yards, three touchdowns and two picks while rushing for 173 yards and a touchdown. The two-time Pro Bowler completed 68.3 percent of his passes, though he also took 16 sacks.

Injuries have been an issue in the past. While Murray played all 17 games last season, he missed nine games in 2023 while recovering from an ACL tear that he suffered in Dec. 2022 (which also cost him the remainder of that season). He also dealt with a preseason wrist sprain in 2022 and a hamstring injury that cost him two contests, while in 2021 he lost three games due to an ankle sprain.

Durability has been an issue, in other words, and the Cardinals now risk missing the playoffs for a fourth straight year unless they can turn things around in 2025.

The offense’s performance with Brissett at the helm will generate some optimism that the worst-case scenario doesn’t come to pass.