Kyler Murray Out: What It Means for Cardinals vs. Saints

There is more clarity on who the Saints will face at quarterback when they take on the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday.

Oct 20, 2022; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) reaches for the end zone against New Orleans Saints defensive end Carl Granderson (96) / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Cardinals host the New Orleans Saints this Saturday in the first preseason game for both teams. On Tuesday, Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon announced that Cardinals QB Kyler Murray will not suit up in any of the team's preseason contests.

This news comes as a bit of a surprise. Murray, 27, had ACL surgery late in the 2022 season that kept him out of action until eight games remained last year. The theory is that Gannon and the Cardinals do not want to risk Murray to injury.

Without Murray, Arizona will play Desmond Ridder and rookie Clayton Tune behind center against New Orleans and throughout the preseason. Tune was a fifth-round choice by the Cardinals out of the University of Houston. Over the last two seasons with the Cougars, Tune completed 67.8% of his throws for 7,615 yards with 70 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, and a 20-7 record as starter.

Ridder, 24, is entering his third NFL season but first with Arizona. He was a third-round choice in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Cincinnati by the Atlanta Falcons. Ridder was the second quarterback selected in his draft class.

Dec 18, 2022; New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) sacks Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder (4) / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

In two years with Atlanta, Ridder appeared in 19 contests and went 8-9 as a starter. He's completed 64% of his passes for 3,544 yards with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. After signing QB Kirk Cousins in free agency, Atlanta traded Ridder to the Arizona Cardinals this offseason in exchange for WR Rondale Moore.

Ridder has started three times against New Orleans in his two-year career, including his first NFL start in 2022. He went 1-2 in those contests, completing 62.3% of his passes for an average of 185 yards/game with three touchdowns and three interceptions while being sacked four times.

New Orleans goes into Saturday's game against Arizona with Derek Carr, Jake Haener, and rookie Spencer Rattler on their quarterback depth chart. Carr is the unquestioned starter going into the season, but Saints coach Dennis Allen has not defined if, or how much, Carr will play on Saturday against the Cardinals.

Haener is a fourth-round choice in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Fresno State that did not take a snap last season. Rattler is a fifth-round rookie out of South Carolina. They are battling for the primary backup spot behind Carr for a New Orleans offense led by new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.