Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon: Kyler Murray Will Play When Ready

There's been plenty of speculation surrounding the Arizona Cardinals and what they'll do with Kyler Murray. Head coach Jonathan Gannon says he'll play.

TEMPE -- The Arizona Cardinals continue their week of practice before preparation hits another gear next Monday, when the team will officially be in a "game week" as the regular season commences.

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray was again a bystander during drills and stretching as his recovery from a torn ACL continues. He remained on the PUP list and will miss, at minimum, the first four games of the regular season.

Speculation has been rampant on Murray's upcoming season and a possible return date - if he plays at all. Former NFL GM Michael Lombardi recently said he wouldn't expect Arizona to play Murray this season, and he's certainly not alone in that opinion.

The Cardinals (along with the rest of the league) trimmed their roster to 53 players yesterday. After the dust settled, Arizona touts just two quarterbacks on the active roster: Clayton Tune and Josh Dobbs. 

It was an interesting decision, one that led head coach Jonathan Gannon to be asked if that was a signal Murray would return at some point this season despite outside noise suggesting otherwise:

"Kyler, when he's healthy to play mentally and physically, he'll play," Gannon told reporters. "That obviously led into part of our decision. He's getting ready to go and when he's ready to go out there, he'll go out there."

The Cardinals will take on the Washington Commanders, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers before Murray is eligible to return. He tore his ACL and meniscus in Week 14 of last season.