Is Kyler Murray going to play against Ravens? Doubtful, Cardinals say

The biggest question heading into Sunday's game for the Arizona Cardinals is whether franchise quarterback Kyler Murray will play against the Baltimore Ravens.

Officially, it's doubtful that Murray plays. The Cardinals' Friday injury report says as much, although Murray practiced all week in full.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon didn't even go so far as to say Murray had a chance to play when he spoke before Friday's practice. On Thursday a practice designation (full, limited or did not participate) was not even listed for Murray, and that lack of designation led to more questions about whether he'd play.

Gannon's answers were short. A sampling:

Question: Will he (Murray) be active on Sunday?

Answer: "We'll see."

Question: What went into the decision to not give him a designation?

Answer: "He's fully healthy."

Question: "How important are these next two days to make that determination?

Answer: "Important."

Question: How is he doing mentally?

Answer: "Excellent. He's doing great."

Question: Was the designation for Kyler anything to do with making the Ravens wonder about (him playing)?

Answer: "No. Just the truth on the injury report."

It seemed before the past couple of days that the Cardinals wouldn't be in a rush to get Murray back on the field, that they would let his three-week practice window before having to add him to the active roster play out to make sure he was fully ready. But Murray finished the week with three straight full practices, giving cause to wonder about playing this week.

He spent Friday throwing to practice squad receivers, as he has done since he started working on the field with the team.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was asked Friday about the uncertainty of having to face Murray or Josh Dobbs at quarterback.

"We’ll see. That’s really all you can say. We’ll be ready for whichever quarterback is playing, and we’ll have the players play," Harbaugh said.

Three Cardinals are out for Sunday's game: Defensive lineman Kevin Strong Jr., linebacker Krys Barnes and offensive lineman Elijah Wilkinson.

Hollywood's reunion

Cardinals receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown will get a chance to play against his former team Sunday when the Ravens visit State Farm Stadium. On Day 1 of the 2022 draft, Baltimore traded him and a third-round pick in exchange for Arizona’s first-round pick that year.

“He would’ve still been here if it was up to me,” Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson told reporters this week.

Brown wanted out of Baltimore because he didn’t feel he was being utilized the right way and the offense was stagnating his growth.

“I was pretty surprised because I texted him and he didn’t text me back,” Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphry said. “… I guess it was a known deal for a while (based on) the reports that came out. So, it definitely did surprise me to trade away your No.1 receiver like that. … I think we received good value for him. But when I found out it was mutual, it wasn’t as surprising.”

Brown leads the Cardinals in receptions (32), receiving yards (383), touchdowns (three) and plays of 20 yards or longer (six). The Ravens know how dangerous he can be, coach John Harbaugh told reporters.

“He looks good. We’ve always respected him as a player, we love him as a person,” Harbaugh said. “Marquise is a great guy, and he looks good out there. He’s their No.1 target threat for sure – crossing routes, shallow routes, go routes, over routes. Those are things that are in his wheelhouse. We’ll have our hands full. Definitely be a guy we know when his number is out there.”

Humphrey said he’s looking forward to defending Brown.

"Fast guy," he said, adding, "Obviously a guy we have to keep our eyes on (and) know where he’s lined up at all times. Once a Raven, always a Raven, but when you’re on the other team, not so much. It will be exciting to match up against him."

Punching it out

Cardinals special teams player Joey Blount has forced a fumble on punt coverage in each of the last two games. He is the only player in the NFL this season with multiple forced fumbles on special teams. He is also the first Cardinals player in at least 20 years to have a forced fumble on special teams in back-to-back games.

Blount works on ripping balls out of a returner's hands daily in practice, or punching it out of his hands.

"For me, when I'm running down there, I'm looking to see where the ball is placed and if it's in reach, I want to get my hands on it. Because most of the time when the guy is running the ball, he's not necessarily worried about, he's going to protect it but the impact he's not ready for," Blount said. "So whether it's just ripping his fingertips off a typical ball or punching the ball, I look for every opportunity to just get my hands on the football."

Blount's NFL inspiration as a special teams player is former Chicago Bears star Charles "Peanut" Tillman, who was known for his ability to strip the ball from opposing players.

"Whether or not you actually punch, I think just getting an arm on the ball side and just pulling down through, just getting anything lodged for a second," Blount said. "A lot of things can happen when you're just hungry for the ball."

Counting on McBride

With tight end Zach Ertz scheduled to miss at least the next four games while on injured reserve with a quadriceps strain, the Cardinals need to know they can turn to second-year tight end Trey McBride to help.

Through seven games, he ranks fourth on the team in receiving yards (170) and fifth in receptions (15).

"I’ve got a lot of trust in Trey," quarterback Josh Dobbs said. "I’m excited to see him step up in that position. I wish Zach a speedy recovery, but Trey, I think I said this last week or the week before, it seems like every time you get the ball in his hands it’s a 10-yard run or it’s an explosive pass. We saw the screen (Sunday at Seattle) where he jumps over the safety who’s standing flat-footed in the middle of the field. He’s elusive with the ball in his hands. … I’m excited to see him step into that role and make plays for us."

Dobbs said he had no idea McBride was able to hurdle a defender the way he did against the Seahawks’ Quandre Diggs for a 19-yard gain.

"I didn’t know what he was going to do," Dobbs said. "The first rule of the screen is you have to get it completed, so I was worried about that at first. Then once it got completed, it was, is he going to run over him? Is he going to juke? Then he just jumped. I’ve never seen him jump like on the practice field, so now we know. We’ll have to use that vertical he has in the red zone. We’ll give him a nice tall one in the red zone this week."

The one that got way

He had a great opportunity for a pick six, but a would-be interception and a return for a touchdown wasn’t to be last Sunday for Cardinals inside linebacker Kyzir White against the Seahawks.

It still bothers him that he didn’t make the play.

“That’s crazy. I never ever really drop things like that," White said. “That’s just getting lackadaisical. I should be on the jugs (machine) every day. I caught that one on the Cowboys and now I think it’s automatic, but obviously it ain’t. I’ve just got to get back to the drawing board and just do extra work after practice, working on catching the ball."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray's return this week 'doubtful'