Cardinals' Kyler Murray 'Really, Really Locked in' amid Knee Injury Rehab, HC Says

Despite being in recovery mode, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has his eyes on the prize.

The 2019 No. 1 pick suffered an ACL injury and tore his meniscus during a Dec. 12 loss to the New England Patriots and is likely to miss at least the start of the 2023 season as he continues his rehab.

Even though he's not ready to play, new Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said the two-time Pro Bowler is making his presence felt.

"He's been here," Gannon said, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. "He's been the first one in the building, been here after everybody goes, and I got to spend a lot of time with him during … OTA periods and just seeing how he's working."

Gannon elaborated by saying the the quarterback remains involved in the quarterback room and he can sense Murray's urgency to return.

"You can tell he's really, really locked in, how much he's itching to get back out there," Gannon said. "He's behind the huddles every play, so really locked in and really excited for his return and just his whole process."

Murray won the 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year award and earned his Pro Bowl nods in 2020 and 2021. He led the Cardinals to a postseason appearance in 2021.

Colt McCoy is the presumed Week 1 starter for the Cardinals, but the 12-year veteran recognizes his role behind Murray once he returns from injury.

"Now, there's just a different operation and I think that part has been new for everybody, and Kyler's done a great job with that," McCoy said. "He's in the meetings, we talk a lot, we communicate, he asks good questions. The only thing he's not doing is going out on the field. He's doing all his rehab and getting better."