Cardinals Have Different Avenues at QB in Week 16

The Arizona Cardinals have three potential options when it comes to quarterback when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to town.

The Arizona Cardinals have quite the situation on their hands at the quarterback position heading into Week 16. 

Kyler Murray is out of the picture after tearing his ACL, and things quickly went south in Arizona's recent 24-15 loss to the Denver Broncos when Colt McCoy left with a concussion. 

Trace McSorley filled in after McCoy left in the opening minutes of the third quarter, but wasn't quite able to captain the Cardinals to victory. 

That was a tough ask for No. 1 pick Kyler Murray, so fans weren't exactly holding their breath for McSorley to save the day. 

Now, heading into a Christmas Day meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cardinals' starting quarterback position remains unclear: 

Cardinals Have Different Avenues at QB in Week 16

McCoy is considered to be one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league. The Cardinals felt that way when they inked him to an extension in the offseason to keep him around. 

McCoy's tenure in the league and experience within the offense helps ensure Arizona's offense runs as close to on schedule as possible. He's the undisputed starter with Murray out of the picture, but McCoy's progression through concussion protocol will dictate his availability, though Kliff Kingsbury said the team will play it safe. 

“Yeah. I think we would err on the side of caution, no question," he said in terms of McCoy. 

As of now, McSorley is set to get his first career start against Tom Brady in front of a national audience on Sunday night with David Blough serving as his backup. 

Kingsbury said both McSorley and Blough will get reps this week. 

“I think we're going to have both guys get some work this week—there's no doubt. I think it's only fair to David to at least get some live type reps during the week in our system since he just got here, but Trace I see starting the game and hopefully he can play at a high level," said Kingsbury.

Blough just arrived last week when he was plucked from the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad. He's started five games previously during his time with the Detroit Lions. 

Kingsbury said he was impressed with Blough prior to signing him.

“A really smart kid. I remember him coming out. I was a Texas Tech and (he's) really sharp. He had a good career there at Purdue and played well the couple of times that he got to start in Detroit. so, it's been good in the room. (He's) really, really sharp," Kingsbury said.

With McSorley set to start if McCoy can't go, Kingsbury outlined what he wants to see from the Penn State product:

“Avoid the negative plays. The last few times he's gotten (in), it's really (been) without any reps at all, so if he can get some reps throughout the week if he ends up being the starter then I think it'll help," he said. "(We've) just got to stay away from the turnovers and first and second down sacks. If we can stay on schedule particularly against this Tampa front, that'll definitely help our chances.”

We should get a better feel of the picture in the later stages of the week when the Cardinals release their injury reports leading up to Sunday night, but options certainly exist for Arizona depending on availability and health. 

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