Cardinals' Colt McCoy still feels 'confident' in his ability to play NFL football

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Colt McCoy has a chance to be a Week 1 starter this season for the first time since 2011 with Kyler Murray’s return uncertain.

McCoy, who has just 15 starts under his belt since his second-to-last season with the Cleveland Browns, said Monday he feels well-equipped to fill the role as QB1 as Murray recovers from a torn ACL from Week 14 this past season.

“I still want to play. I’m still confident I can play.”

Arizona Cardinals QB Colt McCoy says he evaluated if he wanted to continue to play or retire this offseason. @PHNX_Cardinals pic.twitter.com/QOCbikFyCl

— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) June 5, 2023

“Opportunities to play in this league don’t grow on trees,” McCoy said, via Bo Brack of PHNX Sports. “I understand the situation that we’re in. I still want to play… Still feel confident that I can play.”

McCoy, 36, has appeared in 12 games (six starts) over the past two seasons in Arizona. He’s thrown for 1,520 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions on 71.0% passing. The Cardinals have gone 3-3 in his starts.

Per Pro Football Talk, McCoy admitted he had some “elbow stuff” to clean up from last season and Arizona recently “ramped me back up into being able to do team drills and throws.” He added he feels “pretty good” as mandatory OTAs and training camp approach.

Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon gives health update on Kyler Murray

Murray, meanwhile, continues to improve from his knee injury this past December, though he remains far off from a return to the football field, head coach Jonathan Gannon said last month.

“He’s doing good. He’s doing good,” Gannon said, via NFL.com. “You can ask him about the rehab, but I know he’s making strides. He’s a long way away, but we don’t play for a long time, either. I feel good where he’s at.”

Murray, the Cardinals’ first overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma, inked a five-year, $230.5 million deal last offseason. Though his talent hasn’t translated to success, a 25-31-1 mark as starter, Murray has appeared in two Pro Bowls and been productive. Murray has completed 66.8 percent of his passes for 13,848 yards with 84 passing touchdowns and 41 interceptions. He’s added 2,204 yards on the ground and 23 scores.

Gannon, entering his first year in Arizona, said in April it was important for Murray not to “overdo it” in his recovery.

“I’m not [on] Twitter or wherever he posted that, but obviously I talk to Kyler a lot,” Gannon said. “He’s got competitive juice, so he wants to be doing everything that he can to get out there when he can to help the team win. So, pleased where that’s at. I think I told him the other day, ‘As good as you feel, there’s going to be a little bit of a dip. You’ve got to make sure you don’t overdo it, too.’

“That’s a part [of] being smart when you rehab from any injury. You want to go, go, go. Sometimes you’ve got to push the pause button a little bit. But, excited about where he’s at and where he’s going.”