Kyler Murray could miss at least first 2 months of season?

Dec 5, 2021; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) warms up before the game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

A report published on Saturday provided some insight into Kyler Murray’s status for the rest of the season.

Murray began the season on the physically unable to perform list due to his recovery from a torn ACL suffered in December. He is eligible to come off the PUP list on Monday, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Saturday that Murray is not expected to come off the list yet. Murray is still considered to be weeks away from playing, according to Schefter. A source told Scheffter that Murray’s return is not imminent.

Players who are placed on the PUP list must miss four games. Then they have a five-week window to begin practicing. After the player begins practicing, a team has three weeks to add the player to the 53-man roster. If the player never returns to practice or never gets added to the active roster during either window, the player must remain on the PUP list for the rest of the season.

Based on the way the rules work, Schefter says it might not be until late October at the earliest that Murray gets activated.

The Cardinals have been rolling with Josh Dobbs at quarterback this season and seem to be in a season of transition, if you know what we mean. They’re very unlikely to push Murray to return as soon as possible and instead seem likely to let him take his time recovering. There were even some questions about whether Arizona would activate Murray at all this season. The 26-year-old was named a team captain, which seems to be a sign he will return eventually. But we shouldn’t expect to see Murray back any time too soon for the 1-2 Cardinals.