By Jeff Howe, Dianna Russini and Doug Haller

The Arizona Cardinals have released veteran backup quarterback Colt McCoy and will keep starter Kyler Murray on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, team sources said Monday. Here’s what you need to know:

• By being on the PUP list, Murray will be out for at least the first four games of the 2023 regular season.
• As of now, the Cardinals’ options at starting quarterback are veteran Josh Dobbs, whom Arizona acquired last week in a trade with the Cleveland Browns, or rookie fifth-round pick Clayton Tune. Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said in a Monday news conference that he wasn’t publicly naming a starting quarterback.
• McCoy, who turns 37 in September, started six games for Arizona in the past two seasons.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

What does this mean for Murray?

The Cardinals’ decision to keep Murray on the reserve/PUP list is not surprising. He’s not ready. The fifth-year quarterback has spent most of the preseason lined up behind the offense, watching plays unfold, taking mental reps. The question regarding his recovery from ACL surgery has not changed: When will he return? The Cardinals have not yet hinted at a timetable. — Haller

What does this mean for Arizona?

This leaves the team — and Murray — in a difficult spot. Arizona obviously needs a healthy Murray to be competitive. But Murray, who struggled last season before injuring his knee in December, also needs to show first-year general manager Monti Ossenfort and first-year coach Jonathan Gannon that he’s their guy.

Arizona is expected to struggle and could be in contention for the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. (The Cardinals own Houston’s first-round pick as well.) The Caleb Williams speculation will not go away. It’s how the sport works. For the Cardinals, the sooner Murray returns, the better. — Haller

Cardinals coy by design

It was strange that the Cardinals had not publicly committed to McCoy as their Week 1 starter. Once news broke of their trade for Dobbs it made more sense. In his 13th season, McCoy started the preseason as the projected QB1, but as the weeks progressed Tune, a fifth-round choice out of Houston, started challenging. Tune played extensively in Arizona’s most recent preseason game, a win over Minnesota. His competitiveness jumps out but he still makes too many rookie mistakes to start at this level. That leaves Dobbs, also an unknown. He hasn’t played much since joining the league in 2018. He’s smart and has a strong arm. Another plus: He worked with Arizona OC Drew Petzing in Cleveland so he should be familiar with the offense. But without a healthy Murray, Arizona’s QB situation is far from ideal. — Haller

Who is Clayton Tune?

The Cardinals’ fifth-round pick out of Houston started 47 games for the Cougars across five seasons. In Dane Brugler’s NFL Draft guide, Tune was the 10th-ranked passing prospect.

In 2022, Tune set the AAC record with 40 passing touchdowns, a figure that only trailed Heisman winner Caleb Williams and C.J. Stroud, who was picked No. 2 by Houston. He also logged 546 rushing yards and five scores on the ground. He left Houston with the second-most passing touchdowns and total touchdowns in school history, only trailing Case Keenum.

In three preseason games with Arizona, Tune totaled 353 yards to go with one touchdown and one interception.

Backstory

McCoy, the Browns’ 2010 third-round pick, has played 12 seasons in the NFL with five teams: the Browns, Cardinals, Washington, 49ers and Giants. He’s thrown for 7,975 yards with 34 touchdowns and 32 interceptions in his career.

Required reading

• Cardinals QB Kyler Murray ‘champing at the bit’ to play, still long shot for Week 1
• NFL roster projections, cuts and latest news: Live updates and analysis
• NFL Quarterback Tiers 2023: Mahomes, Burrow take over Tier 1, Hurts vaults to top of Tier 2

(Photo: Cary Edmondson / USA Today)