Veteran backup QB has opened up the explosive plays on offense

It’s time for the seven-year itch with Kyler Murray to be scratched.

Scratched, as in, benched.

The marriage between Murray and the Arizona Cardinals has lost its sense of excitement and connection due to ongoing stress, unaddressed issues and a lack of imagination. Although there still might be time to avoid a divorce, it appears a separation is required at this point in the season.

Heading into their bye week following their fifth consecutive loss makes this the perfect time to anoint veteran backup Jacoby Brissett as the QB in charge.

At least for now. At least until the far-and-away-improved offense we’ve seen the past two weeks under Brissett suddenly suffers a letdown. Or, at least until Murray finally feels the heat and gets the message.

What better way to light a fire under Murray than by refusing to let him play on Monday Night Football in Week 9 against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, a venue at which he is 9-0 since high school?

The only problem? Somebody needs to convince coach Jonathan Gannon to make the move.

On Monday, Oct. 20, the day after Arizona’s latest one-score loss — this time to the visiting Green Bay Packers — Gannon wasn’t in the mood to even entertain the notion. He repeated the same three-word answer he used postgame when asked if Murray would return to the starting lineup once his sprained foot is healed.

“Nothing has changed,” Gannon said.

That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, though.

An NFL locker room full of players who keep banging their heads against the wall, fighting to their last breath despite all the losing, happens to carry an awful lot of weight. So does general manager Monti Ossenfort, who has the right to persuade his coach to make it happen. So does team owner Michael Bidwill, who has the ultimate authority to order it done.

Brissett, 32, is not the long-term solution for the Cardinals. But Murray, now in his seventh season with Arizona, has yet to prove he is the answer. The team has lost eight of its past 14 starts dating back to last year. He’s helped the franchise reach the playoffs only once, in 2021, and the Cardinals got crushed by the Rams in the NFC wild-card round.

He hasn’t done enough to warrant any more time beyond this season. Considering the Cardinals appear convinced he’s still their No.1 option, they are either getting ready to do one final evaluation of him over the final 10 games or they are simply delaying the inevitable.

At some point, and sooner rather than later, the Cardinals will recognize they have to move on from Murray and find a new franchise quarterback. Their best option is to bring back Brissett, draft a QB in the first round, and have him learn from the veteran.

Judging from Brissett’s two starts, there can be no debate that he has done more to unlock more explosive plays in the offense than Murray managed from Weeks 1-5. It hasn’t even been close. Brissett is finding his pass catchers downfield in third-and-long situations, and the Cardinals have been connecting.

With Murray, they were static and unable to move the ball consistently.

That’s why it makes sense to play the quarterback who gives you the best chance to win, even though the playoffs seem completely out of reach.

Gannon again acknowledged the positives that Brissett brings to the Cardinals.

“That’s why we brought him here,” he said.

When asked whether the team plans to make changes during the bye, Gannon said, “We’ve got to look at everything.

“This is a good time to reflect. You’re not preparing for a game. You don’t have ‘Who’s up and who’s down and who we’re elevating,’ all those things. You know who’s ready to play, who’s not. So, you take a little bit of a pause and look at what you’re doing, yeah. Absolutely.”

But they’re not going to examine the quarterback position?

“Nothing has changed,” Gannon said.

They’re not going to even look at it?

“Nothing has changed,” Gannon said.

You know what that sounds like, don’t you? Same old Cardinals.

Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. on Roc and Manuch with Jimmy B on ESPN 620 (KTAR-AM).

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