Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (knee) full participant in practice on Wednesday
Kyler Murray cleared another checkpoint on Wednesday on his road back from ACL surgery to the field.
The Cardinals quarterback was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, per the team’s mid-week practice report.
Murray’s participation followed Jonathan Gannon’s stated plan earlier in the day to “get him out there today and see where it goes.” It does not, however, mean he’s suddenly going to suit up and start in Arizona’s Week 8 game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Arizona intends to take it slowly with Murray, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday, with no reason to rush him back and risk further complication. Joshua Dobbs has manned the role in Murray’s place and is performing well enough to allow the Cardinals to exercise patience with the star signal-caller.
The main benefit of Murray’s return, of course, is the start of a test to see how he fits in the new coaching staff’s system, and whether Arizona’s future will include Murray. He’ll eventually begin such a test, but not until both he and the Cardinals feel completely comfortable with his health and physical preparedness. Fully participating in practice signifies progress in this process, not a finish line.
That will come when Murray is officially ready to play, which Rapoport reported could be as early as Nov. 5, when Arizona takes on Cleveland.
Until then, we’ll continue to monitor Murray’s progress, which appears to be rather positive as of now.