Training Camp Preview: Quarterbacks
The first week of the 2022 NFL season is still weeks away, but training camp is just around the corner. The Arizona Cardinals coaches and veteran players will return to State Farm Stadium for their annual training camp on July 26. That's five days after rookies and other inexperienced players report.
While some players will glide through the practices with their role on the team guaranteed, others will be fighting to find a place on the 53-man roster. In this series, we’ll take a look at every position group and the players who have a spot on the roster protected and those who will be battling for a roster role.
Quarterbacks
Kyler Murray
It wasn’t long ago that the question of who would be the starting Cardinals quarterback was answered with a shrug. From 2009 to 2012, the starting quarterbacks for Arizona ranged from Kurt Warner, Derek Anderson, Kevin Kolb to John Skelton.
Ten years later and the rotation of signal-callers for the Cardinals is no longer an issue. From 2019 to 2021 the clear answer at quarterback has been Murray. That isn’t expected to change in 2022.
Since Murray's name was called as the first pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, he has been the assumed starter and he has backed it up with his performance on the field. In his rookie season he was named the NFLs Offensive Rookie of the Year and in 2020 he earned his first Pro Bowl invitation.
The Cardinals have improved gradually since Murray's arrival. After a 5-10-1 record to start his career, Murray has helped lead the team to a 19-14 record in the last two seasons. In 2021, the 24 year old was at the forefront of the reasons why the Cardinals made their first playoff appearance since 2015.
What Murray has accomplished in his brief career is a large reason why he is looking for a lucrative contract extension. General manager Steve Keim has voiced on multiple occasions that he expects a deal to be done during the summer and head coach Kliff Kingsbury said he is praying it will be done by training camp.
The contract negotiations is the one wrench thrown into Murray's role on the team. While the quarterback has not voiced an intention to hold out or skip out on regular-season games if a deal is not reached, it is a question that could arise if contract talks continue past the opening of camp.
One concern the organization might have is Murray's longevity.
The 5-foot-10 quarterback was sidelined due to injury last season, missing three games due to an ankle sprain. It was the first time he had missed any games in his NFL career. While Murray didn’t miss any games in 2020, he was affected by a shoulder injury in the second half of the season and then injured his leg in the regular-season finale against the Rams.
Colt McCoy
While Murray appears to have the starting role locked up, the 12-year veteran McCoy is in line to solidify his role as the backup for a second straight season.
McCoy's days as a leading man on a football team may be over, but his vast football experience along with a reliable arm is what a coach would want in a backup quarterback.
The 35 year old played with four different teams before joining the Cardinals last season. McCoy added experience to a young quarterbacks room that lacked vast football knowledge. As of now, McCoy is the only quarterback on the team with more than three seasons of experience.
McCoy showed he could be a steady replacement last season when Murray missed three games with injury. In his three starts, the Cardinals were 2-1 under McCoy.
His performance last season along with the veteran leadership he provides in the locker room should be a large factor why McCoy returns as the Cardinals backup.
Trace McSorley
The third quarterback on the Cardinals roster joined the team late last season after Arizona signed him off the Baltimore Ravens practice squad. He replaced third-string quarterback Chris Streveler, who was waived the same day the team added McSorley.
McSorley was drafted alongside Murray in the 2019 NFL Draft, but much later. A sixth- round draft pick by the Ravens, McSorley played behind Lamar Jackson and Robert Griffin III.
He has limited experience as an NFL quarterback earning 90 yards and one touchdown in the three games he has played.
In college, McSorley was impressive at Penn State. In three seasons, McSorley led the Nittany Lions to a 31-9 record and broke multiple school records, including the most passing yards in a single season with 3,360.
Jarrett Guarantano
Guarantano is the newest addition to the quarterbacks QB room. He signed with Arizona following a tryout during the team's rookie minicamp.
The rookie played four seasons at Tennessee before transferring to Washington where he played only two games before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
In his 32 starts at Tennessee, Guarantano passed for 6,174 yards, 38 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. His ability to avoid turnovers through the air helped him break the school record for consecutive passes without an interception (166).
It will be an uphill climb for Guarantano to find a spot on the roster as the team has only carried more than two quarterbacks once since Kingsbury became the head coach.
