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The Cardinals made their final cuts to get to the roster limit. These were the most surprising cuts.
The Arizona Cardinals made the necessary moves to trim the roster down to 53. They actually trimmed it down to 52 players.
Most of the cuts were not at all surprising.
Others were a bit of a surprise.
The most surprising moves are below.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Colt McCoy is out in Arizona despite taking first-team reps this offseason.
Despite quarterback Kyler Murray still being on the physically unable to perform list ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline, the Arizona Cardinals still chose to cut backup quarterback Colt McCoy. Continue reading “Former Texas QB Colt McCoy released by the Arizona Cardinals”
Vote in the poll to say whether the Cardinals should have released QB Colt McCoy.
The Arizona Cardinals announced a few roster moves on Monday ahead of Tuesday’s roster cutdown deadline. Among the moves they made, they released quarterback Colt McCoy.
McCoy worked all offseason and training camp as the first-team quarterback, but the decision was made to let him go and go with rookie Clayton Tune and newly acquired Josh Dobbs until Kyler Murray returns healthy from his torn ACL.
It was a surprise and it will cost the Cardinals. Of his $3.75 million scheduled salary in 2023, $2.25 million was fully guaranteed. He will be paid that much to not be on the team.
Do you agree with the move? Should the Cardinals have released him?
Vote in the poll to tell us your opinion.
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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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The Cardinals will start a 5th-round rookie or a QB acquired last week against the Commanders in Week 1.
Since it was announced that the Washington Commanders would play the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 back in May, it appeared that Washington would be facing a familiar foe to kick off the season. With franchise quarterback Kyler Murray out to begin the season with a knee injury, former Washington QB Colt McCoy was expected to start under center for the Cardinals.
Not anymore.
In one of the bigger surprises ahead of NFL cutdown day, the Cardinals released McCoy on Monday. That means the Commanders will either face Joshua Dobbs or rookie fifth-round pick Clayton Tune in Week 1.
The immediate thought of NFL fans on social media were the Cardinals trying to tank, with the hope of selecting USC quarterback Caleb Williams in 2024? That’s a bit too far down the road to make that assumption, but regardless, no quarterback gave the Cardinals a better chance to win than McCoy. He had played well in relief of Murray over the last two seasons.
New Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said it was about the full body of work when releasing McCoy.
“Just like with every decision…we look at the body of work…felt like it was in the best interest of the team.”
Jonathan Gannon speaks on the Cardinals decision to release Colt McCoy.#BirdGang pic.twitter.com/RYH0rYLMbm
— PHNX Cardinals (@PHNX_Cardinals) August 28, 2023
What does this mean for the Commanders come Week 1? Considering many already projected Arizona to be the worst team in 2023, Washington’s defensive line could feast on whoever lines up under center in less than two weeks.
As for McCoy, he should have no trouble finding work as a reliable backup. He spent six seasons in Washington [2014-2019], appearing in 12 games with seven starts. The most memorable performance of his time in Washington was a Monday night win he engineered in 2014.
The Cardinals will eat $2.25 million in fully guaranteed salary for McCoy and the starting QB situation is now muddled.
The Arizona Cardinals made a surprising move on Monday, announcing some cuts and roster moves.
They cut quarterback Colt McCoy, who was on track to be the Cardinals’ starter in Week 1.
The Cardinals will eat $2.25 million because that amount was guaranteed of his schedule $3.75 million in 2023.
The move makes the quarterback situation even more uncertain.
Kyler Murray, returning from a torn ACL, is expected to begin the season on PUP (the physically unable to perform list), meaning he must miss at least four games.
With McCoy now gone, it is uncertain whether rookie Clayton Tune or newly acquired Josh Dobbs will start in Week 1 for the Cardinals.
McCoy, 37 years old, was 3-3 as a starter for Arizona over the last three seasons.
Other cuts were announced and the team must trim the roster down to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon at 1 p.m. Arizona time.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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Ranking every starting quarterback in the NFL ahead of the 2023 season, Jalen Hurts was inside the top 5.
NFL training camps are opening this week across the league and former Oklahoma Sooners will be looking to build on their 2022 performances.
The Sooners have several high-profile players at the league’s most important position in [autotag]Jalen Hurts[/autotag], [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag], and [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag]. Hurts is coming off a breakout 2022 season where he helped lead the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl.
The former Crimson Tide and Sooners quarterback had an MVP-like season and put on an epic performance, going touchdown for touchdown with the guy who won the award, Patrick Mahomes.
After an incredible season for the Eagles, Hurts is now considered among the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Touchdown Wire’s Natalie Miller put him at No. 4 in her preseason ranking of every starting quarterback in the NFL ahead of the 2023 season.
Just barely missing out on an MVP trophy because of an injury that cost him two games and a freakishly good season by Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts looks primed to perhaps steal the spotlight. Already one of the most dangerous superstars in the league, Hurts has all the tools and an offense around him that puts him in a fantastic position to reach new heights as a passer and playmaker. – Miller, Touchdown Wire
Hurts has done nothing but improve every year he’s played the position in high school. The sky’s the limit for the dual-threat quarterback, and the ceiling won’t slow down his progression.
[autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag], on the other hand, is trying to build off what was a unique 2022. He was traded from the Cleveland Browns to the Carolina Panthers and, after struggling in Carolina, signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Rams. With the Rams, Mayfield looked more comfortable and was far more productive. He even orchestrated an incredible 98-yard drive in the final two minutes to help Los Angeles beat the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football in his first start with the Rams. His success under head coach Sean McVay helped Mayfield earn an opportunity to start with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2023.
Mayfield comes in at No. 27 on Touchdown Wire’s rankings.
It was certainly a tale of two seasons for Mayfield who utterly fumbled an opportunity with the Carolina Panthers but then miraculously revived his career with a steady stint starting for the Los Angeles Rams. Which Baker will show up in Tampa Bay? That is the question that remains going into the season. – Miller, Touchdown Wire
The former Heisman winner has a fantastic situation to resurrect his career in Tampa Bay. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are two of the better wide receivers in the league and form a tremendous duo. The Bucs also have an offensive line that should provide Mayfield enough time to be comfortable in the pocket to deliver downfield strikes.
Like Hurts, never count Mayfield down until he’s out.
As for [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag], he wasn’t included in the rankings because he’s not expected to be available to start the season after suffering an ACL tear at the end of last season. It’ll be former Texas Longhorns star quarterback [autotag]Colt McCoy[/autotag] taking first-team reps in training camp for the Cardinals.
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We look at quarterback Colt McCoy entering 2023 as training camp approaches.
The Arizona Cardinals open training camp at the end of this month, so we will do a roster review, highlighting each player currently on the roster, going over last season, their salary and cap number, questions they face and what their expected roster status will be.
Next up is quarterback Colt McCoy.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
He is ranked 30th out of 32 teams by Touchdown Wire.
Kyler Murray is the Arizona Cardinals’ starting quarterback but he is unlikely to start the season as he is coming off ACL surgery. He is expected to miss several games to start the year.
Colt McCoy is the likely starter for Arizona in Week 1 and, per Touchdown Wire’s rankings of the 32 expected Week 1 starters, he is nearly dead last.
He is ranked 30th by Doug Farrar.
One of the more reliable veterans over the last decade, Colt McCoy will need to strap in for the first half of the season with Kyler Murray out with a serious injury. McCoy may be reliable and can win games, but cannot elevate teams on his own.
That last statement sums up McCoy nicely. He can win games but won’t elevate the team.
Would he be better placed above unproven players like Green Bay’s Jordan Love, rookie Anthony Richardson and Tampa’s Baker Mayfield? Perhaps, but the reality is that whether he is ranked 27th or 32nd, he isn’t much of a starting quarterback. He is perfect to get through a game or to fill in for a game or two, but you won’t be successful as a team if you have to rely on him over a long course of the season.
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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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How do the NFC West backup quarterbacks stack up against one another?
The NFC West starting quarterback situation is set, although three teams have some question marks regarding injuries (Kyler Murray and his knee, Brock Purdy and his elbow and Matthew Stafford and his elbow).
But what about the backup quarterback situation?
How do they stack up against one another in the division?
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
Essentially, if you’re born with the name General Booty could you really be anything else besides the quarterback at a football powerhouse?
(OK, maybe don’t answer that, actually…)
Football has legends just like any sport but does any other sport have player’s names that match their skills quite like football does?
For instance, Jack Youngblood was born to be a football player. Being born with that name pretty much guaranteed he was going to be destined for greatness at Florida and with the NFL’s Rams or he was going to be a professional boxer. There wasn’t another option.
What about quarterbacks specifically though? Which have had the most quarterback-y sounding names in the history of college football?
I ask because Oklahoma just landed a commitment from JUCO transfer General Booty and although I can think of a few other job titles a name like that could hold, being quarterback at a college football powerhouse sounds somewhat fitting.
It got me thinking of the best college quarterbacks based solely on their names and nothing they actually accomplished on the field.
Here’s my top ten:
