So, the quarterback circus going forward is now solved. Well, at least for the next four weeks.
The back and forth between whether Kyler Murray and Jacoby Brissett would be the starting quarterback ended
on Wednesday when the franchise placed Murray on IR in an effort to get him more time to heal for an ankle injury he suffered in the Tennessee Titans game in Week 5.
RELATED: CARDINALS PLACE MURRAY ON IR
Brissett is now the undisputed starting signalcaller for at least a month. The offense has been successful in the three games he has controlled the game plan, including defeating the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. The 27-17 score wasn’t really that close, as the Cardinals’ defense came alive and did not falter late in the game for a change.
The receivers are now getting more involved in the offense, along with the sure hands of TE Trey McBride. The offensive line has done a decent job, although there were spurts on pass protection that need to be addressed. Brissett is a patient pocket QB who will run or scramble when needed, but prefers to continue to look downfield.
After the Cowboys win, Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon indicated that Murray would remain his starter. He addressed this twice during his post-game press conference. But after getting back to the practice facility, doctors examined Murray. On Tuesday night, the conversation regarding the next step began.
On Wednesday, after a pow-wow with all concerned, it was decided to rest Murray and wait until he is 100% healthy before he can hit the field again. So, he was added to IR for a minimum of four weeks.
Okay. One issue solved, if just for a short spell.
Brissett is now the second-lowest-paid starting quarterback in the league. His cap hit for this year is $5.31 million. Rookie Tyler Shough of the New Orleans Saints is now starting with a cap hit of $1.97 million.
Next up on the agenda: what happens if something happens to Brissett?
The subject is no longer who the starter is between Murray and Brissett, and the one not chosen would become the backup. But now, who will back up the backup?
Currently, Kedon Slovis has been listed as QB3. Does he slide up to backup? Or do the Cardinals bring in a guy who has more experience?
First off, who is Slovis?
His measurables are 6’-2” and 223 pounds. He went undrafted in the 2024 NFL draft out of BYU and is considered a Pro Style QB. He is a local kid, having grown up in Scottsdale, where he went to Desert Mountain High School.
Slovis became the starter in his junior and senior seasons. His high school stats include 5,549 yards with 50 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions. His QB coach was Cardinals Hall of Famer Kurt Warner. After his senior season, he was named to the PrepStar All-Western Region Team and was an All-Academic honorable.
He had 12 college offers as a three-star athlete, including North Carolina State, Arizona State, San Jose State, SMU, Boise State, USC, Oregon State, Northern Arizona, Hawai’i, New Mexico State, Indiana, and Vanderbilt.
He chose USC and played there for three years. He was voted the 2019 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year award. In his very first college game as the backup, the starter blew out his knee, and Slovis was suddenly the starter. He started 12 games and threw for 3,502 yards with 30 TDs and just nine picks. In his second season, he was named First Team All-Pac 12 and was on the preseason Heisman list and the preseason Davey O’Brien Award watch.
Then, COVID hit, and USC only played six games. In those few games, Slovis averaged 320.2 yards passing a game. After his third year at USC, he entered the transfer portal and ended up at Pitt for one season. On December 5, 2022, Slovis announced he would again enter the transfer portal as a graduate transfer.
Now a fifth-year senior because of the pandemic, Slovis transferred to BYU, where he had his worst statistical season with just 1,716 yards with 12 touchdowns against six interceptions.
For his college career, Slovis passed for 11,689 yards with 989 completions, 80 touchdowns, 39 interceptions, 11.2 yards per reception average, and averaged 254.1 passing yards a game.
The NFL draft came and went in 2024, and Slovis signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted rookie free agent. He was also selected in the second round of the United Football League (UFL) draft. Slovis was waived by the Colts on the final cutdown, then was signed by the Houston Texans to their practice squad. In the following training camp, he was a final day cutdown. The Cardinals then inked him to their practice squad on August 28. Less than two months later, he was elevated to Arizona’s 53-man roster, where he has remained.
So far, Slovis has played in zero NFL regular-season games.
Bring in a fresh body?
The Cardinals may want to try to find an experienced guy for Brissett’s backup and leave Slovis as QB3, where he can further develop. Keep in mind, this list of available quarterbacks has been picked over pretty good. Several teams have had starting and backup quarterback issues, and thus needed a capable body and plucked away the best ones.
What should the Cardinals look for in a backup quarterback, even if it is just for four weeks?
For one: experience. Consider that the Cardinals get on a winning streak, and there is some glimmer of hope that they could secure a Wild Card seed. But the wins need to keep coming.
Brissett becomes injured, whether it is for a game or a stretch of games. Does Arizona want a newbie to trot out onto the field? Or a guy who has at least got some games under his belt?
With that in mind, absent are guys who may have been great college players, but haven’t cut their teeth yet in the big boy league. With that said, Kyle McCord on the Eagles’ practice squad was omitted. So was Easton Stick on the practice squad of the Falcons or the Colts’ practice squader Brett Rypien. Or even Kyle Trask, who was just released from the Buccaneers, but has played in just seven NFL games (in mop-up situations) with zero starts.
This list isn’t pretty, but it is the best available for a quarterback who has played in some games and wouldn’t become skittish being thrown into an actual live game.
Jeff Driskel (6’-4”, 231 pounds)
Free Agent
Age: 32
Pro: NFL: 49ers, Bengals, Lions, Broncos, Texans, Cardinals, Browns, Commanders, Raiders
Driskel has experience and was recently in for a workout for the Cardinals, so the coaches already know him. He was a sixth-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2016, and they signed him to a four-year $2.45 million deal. In his second year, he was a last-day cut. The Cincinnati Bengals claimed him, where he was the backup for three years.
RELATED: CARDINALS BRING IN NINE PLAYERS FOR A WORKOUT
He was also a sought-after baseball outfield prospect and drafted by the Boston Red Sox.
Driskel has played for nine NFL teams, including the Cardinals in 2023, where he went back and forth between the practice squad and the main roster. He was on the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad this season until October 8.
He has played in 25 NFL games with 12 starts. His stats include 229 completions on 391 attempts for 2,394 yards, 16 TDs, 10 picks, 112 first down conversions, and a 58.6% completion percentage.
Trevor Siemian (6’-3”, 220 pounds)
Tennessee Titans practice squad
Age: 33
Pro: NFL Broncos, Jets, Saints, Bears, Jets, Titans
Siemian has a Super Bowl ring and has been with seven NFL clubs since going in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL draft. He is currently on the practice squad of the Titans. He has played in the NFL since 2015.
He had played in 40 NFL games with 33 starts, so he has experience. His career stats include 707 completions on 1,208 attempts for 7,751 yards with 44 TDs, 32 picks, 370 first down conversions, and a 58.5% completion percentage.
From 2016-2017, he started 24 games with the Denver Broncos.
Bryce Perkins (6’-2”, 215 pounds)
Free Agent
Age: 28
Pro: NFL Los Angeles Rams (2020, 2021, 2022), UFL Michigan Panthers (2024, 2025), NFL Carolina Panthers (2025)
Perkins played two seasons in the UFL, and this past season, he was named to the All-UFL team, plus was voted the league’s Offensive Player of the Year and the UFL MVP.
He had a stellar career at Virginia, where he passed for 6,218 yards in two seasons with 47 TDs and 21 picks. He went undrafted in the 2020 NFL draft and signed with the Los Angeles Rams and won a Super Bowl ring. He played in five games with one start over three seasons, either on the main roster or the practice squad.
In his two seasons in the UFL, he had 1,685 yards with 11 TDs and three interceptions. He played in 22 games. After his MVP season, he was in Carolina camp and was waived on the final cutdown.
