Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray will make his season debut Sunday against the visiting Atlanta Falcons, coach Jonathan Gannon confirmed Friday.
“Honestly I’m excited for the guy,” Gannon said. “I’ve seen what he’s had to go through the last eight months or so. And what he’s put into it and how bad he wants to be out there. The competitor he is, he wants to be out there with the guys and help this team win.”
Murray hasn’t played since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Dec. 12, 2022 against the New England Patriots.
Also on Friday, Gannon said running back James Conner is “trending in the right direction” to play against the Falcons.
The Cardinals opened the 21-day practice window Wednesday for Conner, who sustained a knee injury at the end of a 35-yard run in Arizona’s 34-20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 8. He was placed on IR two days later.
The Cardinals (1-8) dropped their sixth straight decision with a 27-0 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. After Arizona traded quarterback Joshua Dobbs to the Minnesota Vikings on Oct. 30, rookie Clayton Tune made his first NFL start and completed 11 of 20 passes for 58 yards and two interceptions.
Murray, 26, has started all 57 games he has played over four seasons, completing 66.8 percent of his passes for 13,848 yards, 84 touchdowns and 41 interceptions. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2020 and 2021, while guiding Arizona into the playoffs following the 2021 season.
Conner, 28, has rushed for 364 yards and two touchdowns in five games this season. The two-time Pro Bowl selection is averaging 5.4 yards per carry.
Arizona has struggled to ignite its ground attack in his absence. The Cardinals rushed 21 times for just 41 yards in the loss to the Browns.
