The Cardinals Are on Their Fourth Starting QB - Here's How We Got Here
Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury sat at the podium on Friday morning, and moments after telling reporters Colt McCoy would not be available this week and top receiver DeAndre Hopkins would be questionable, Kingsbury was asked if he had reached the point of 'what else could go wrong?' during a season full of injuries and drama.
"I was there about eight weeks ago. So we've passed that point," joked Kingsbury.
If you're a Cardinals fan, this season has been a rollercoaster with very few ups compared to downs. Arizona's play - and availability - at quarterback has been a shining example.
Even prior to his injury, the play of QB Kyler Murray was widely discussed and dissected. The Cardinals failed to really get anything going offensively throughout the year, and that's even more unlikely with David Blough now getting the start against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 17.
The Cardinals are on their fourth different quarterback in the last four weeks.
Week 14: Kyler Murray
Week 15: Colt McCoy
Week 16: Trace McSorley
Week 17: David Blough
Parity is normal across the NFL, and unfortunately that spans to the vast amount of quarterbacks that have started a game in 2022.
So, how did the Cardinals get here?
1. Kyler Murray
Murray officially started 11 games for the Cardinals in 2022, missing a few games with a hamstring injury and throwing just one pass in his final start of the year against the New England Patriots in Week 14, tearing his ACL in front of a national audience on the team's opening drive.
Initial reports suggested Murray was done for the season with a serious injury, and those turned out to be true. After seeing the replay, there seemed to be little doubt in terms of magnitude.
Statistically, 2022 was Murray's worst season in the following categories: Record (3-8), TD% (3.6), longest completed pass (38 yards), yards per attempt (6.1), passing yards per game (215.3) and passer rating (87.2).
The debate rages on for exactly which person is responsible for Arizona's mess on offense, but that noise won't have the opportunity to be silenced until Murray fully recovers from his tear - which is another question in itself.
Nobody knows if he'll be ready for the start of the season, especially considering how late in the year it happened. He's reportedly set to have surgery on Jan. 3.
The Cardinals, for good reason, were confident in their No. 2 guy:
2. Colt McCoy
McCoy is widely recognized across the league as one of the best No. 2 options available thanks to his starting experience, leadership and general knowledge of offensive concepts.
The Cardinals certainly felt that way as well after extending his contract in the offseason for two more seasons.
A backup quarterback in the game often spells disaster for an offense, yet McCoy's presence on the field has helped guide the Cardinals to a handful of wins since joining the team in 2021.
One could argue the offense appears to run more on-schedule with McCoy at the helm. That eye-test countered with ESPN's report that included some offensive players were upset about Murray not sticking to script.
McCoy started Weeks 10 and 11 before Murray returned. McCoy was again inserted into the game when Murray tore his ACL in Week 14 and again got the start in Week 15, before eventually suffering a concussion against the Denver Broncos in the early stages of the third quarter.
Cue the lights for quarterback No. 3:
3. Trace McSorley
McSorley was initially brought to Arizona's practice squad in late November of last season. The hope was for McSorley to continue developing for the foreseeable future, and with both Murray/McCoy on the roster, the chances of him actually seeing the field were slim.
Lo and behold, the Cardinals actually needed McSorley's talents on the field.
The offense did manage to move up and down the field with him under center - somewhat thanks to his mobility - but the missed passes and interceptions didn't bode well in the loss to Denver.
With McCoy still in protocol, McSorley officially got the start against Tom Brady in Week 16's Christmas Day matchup.
McSorley's performance was less than ideal. He again turned the ball over via interception and only connected with DeAndre Hopkins on one of ten targets.
He's still a work in progress, and there was some thought that McSorley would get the start again this week if McCoy wasn't ready.
Yet Arizona wanted to see some fresh blood, and now we arrive at quarterback No. 4:
4. David Blough
McCoy told reporters on Wednesday he was cleared out of the protocol and set to play, but his absence during the open portion of practice on Friday soon sounded the alarm bells that something may have gone wrong.
Kingsbury later confirmed that McCoy would be out for Week 17's meeting against the Falcons.
Enter Blough, who was recently plucked off the Minnesota Vikings' practice squad and was only supposed to be an extra body if the Cardinals needed.
After watching McSorley play last week, Arizona figured they needed it in Atlanta.
Blough brings prior starting experience to the table - he started five games for the Lions a few years ago before they acquired Jared Goff - but lost all of those starts.
Chalk that up to his inexperience as an undrafted rookie or playing on a bad Detroit football team.
"He's a sharp kid," Kingsbury said on Blough. "Knows some of the - I'd say base concepts and the game-plan stuff he's done a nice job picking up this week. We'll make sure we tailor the script to stuff he feels good about and let him go try to play fast and execute at a high level."
The headline of "coach says something nice about quarterback they chose to start" is an obvious one, but there was obviously something the staff saw to allow him the opportunity this week.
It's been a long season for Cardinals fans, and luckily only two weeks remain. We'll see if Blough can deliver anything this week in Atlanta.
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