Cardinals QB Not Playing in Preseason

Kyler Murray will not be playing in preseason action for the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) throws the ball during training camp at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals will not see Kyler Murray in action this preseason, according to head coach Jonathan Gannon.

"He's not going to play, [the] whole preseason," Gannon told reporters ahead of practice on Tuesday.

When asked to elaborate, Gannon said:

"I like where he's at right now. I like how the offense is operating, and I think he will get done everything that he needs to get done to be the best version of himself on opening day."

Gannon also added Murray - a known competitor - "understood" why the Cardinals opted not to let him play in any preseason action.

The Cardinals host the New Orleans Saints this weekend before traveling to play the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos this preseason. The team will also hold joint practice sessions with the Colts ahead of their matchup.

Murray now effectively will see his first live in action in Arizona's Week 1 road opener against the Buffalo Bills.

"How the schedule is planned out over the next - that's why you can't look at it day by day - for us how we kind of do it is you work from Buffalo back," said Gannon.

"So there's always a little bit concern, you know what I mean? We got to be ready to go, and we got to have all our energy systems, right? Buffalo, you know? Not going to get into all the science of that, but we can't be winded out there, we got to be in shape. We got to be able to play however many plays what we think is during a game. But I think that we have a good plan to do that."

For Arizona, Clayton Tune and Desmond Ridder will battle for QB2 positioning on the team's depth chart. These next three weeks, according to Gannon, will be valuable in determining which player claims that respective spot.

"Very [valuable]. I think when you want to do evaluation, the closest thing you can get to what it's going to look like versus Buffalo is these preseason games," he said. "Our guys know what's expected, what we're looking for, what needs to get done to win the game, but they're competing for their roles still, and it'll be good.

" ... Good competition between those two. They're both doing a good job."