Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray will not play Sunday in Indianapolis due to his lingering foot problem and veteran Jacob Brissett will start in his place, according to ESPN.
Earlier Saturday, the Cardinals (2-3) promoted undrafted quarterback Kedon Slovis to the active roster, but it wasn’t until Saturday evening that reports surfaced about Murray’s expected absence against the 4-1 Colts.
Officially listed as ‘questionable,’ Murray missed practice Wednesday and Thursday due to the foot injury before taking part on a limited basis on Friday.
Murray hadn’t missed a game since 2023.
The first pick of the 2019 NFL Draft has struggled this season. Currently the Cardinals rank 30th in the league with 170.2 passing yards per game, while the 28-year-old Murray has tossed six touchdowns and three picks.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo was first to report the promotion of Slovis, a native Arizonan who suited up for USC and Pittsburgh before transferring to BYU, where he went 5-3 while throwing for a dozen touchdowns and six interceptions.
Listed as ‘questionable,’ Murray missed practice Wednesday and Thursday but not Friday
Jacoby Brissett #7 of the Arizona Cardinals warms up prior to a game earlier this month
Kedon Slovis of Brigham Young participates in a drill at the 2024 NFL scouting combine
Fortunately for Arizona, Brissett is an experienced backup, albeit one who hasn’t thrown 100 passes in a season since 2022.
The former North Carolina State star is 19-34 in his career, although his 1.4-percent interception rate is actually the lowest in NFL history.
The 28-year-old Murray hurt himself during last week’s humiliating collapse in Nashville, where the Cardinals surrendered a 21-6 lead in the fourth quarter. Murray stepped aside for Brissett for two plays during the loss and continued to limp after his return.
The Cardinals have dropped three straight games on last-second field goals.
Meanwhile, Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon is $100,000 poorer this week after being fined for his furious sideline confrontation with Arizona’s Emari Demercado in Nashville.
Gannon was reacting to Demercado’s disastrous fumble in Sunday’s loss: The running back dropped the football before crossing into the end zone at the end of a 72-yard would-be touchdown run.
Gannon told reporters he has since apologized to Demercado.
