Cardinals to start QB Kyler Murray for the first time in 11 months

Quarterback (QB) Kyler Murray will start in Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Georgia, after recovering from the anterior cruciate ligament tear that he suffered last year. It will be his first start in 11 months.

The team announced the news on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday. "Honestly, I'm excited for the guy," head coach Jonathan Gannon said of Murray's return. "I've seen what he's had to go through the last eight months or so – however long I've been here – and what he's put into it and how bad he wants to be out there and the competitor that he is. He wants to be out there with the guys and help his team win. So that's what I'm most excited to see."

Murray completed 259 of his 390 passes for 2,368 yards and 14 touchdowns with seven interceptions in 11 games before he was injured last season. He also rushed for 418 yards and three touchdowns with 67 carries. The Cardinals lost eight of those games.

The team counted on Joshua Dobbs to be their starting QB in eight of their nine games so far this season. The 28-year-old threw 167-for-266 to produce 1,569 yards and eight touchdowns with five interceptions while the Cardinals were 1-7. Clayton Tune was made the starting QB against the Cleveland Browns on November 5, but he didn't stand out to save the day and the team suffered their sixth straight loss.

Murray signed a five-year, $230,5 million contract extension with the Cardinals in July 2022. Though the team is hopeless for the playoffs this season, they need him to come back to the field, shake off the rust and get familiar with the rest of the team.

"I think that's what they're excited about," Gannon said. "They're excited about to get the guy in the huddle too, you know what I mean? They like the guy. We all love the guy, so that's probably why they're smiling a little bit."