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NFL Rumors: Kyler Murray trade buzz, surprise Cowboys cut, Packers injury

2023-08-13 08:29
NFL Rumors: Kyler Murray trade looks like most likely outcomeThe Cardinals are in a pickle with Kyler Murray, who is coming off a torn ACL and won't be ready to start the season. His long-term future with the team is in doubt beyond even the injury because of doubts over his commitment to bei...
NFL Rumors: Kyler Murray trade buzz, surprise Cowboys cut, Packers injury

NFL Rumors: Kyler Murray trade looks like most likely outcome

The Cardinals are in a pickle with Kyler Murray, who is coming off a torn ACL and won't be ready to start the season. His long-term future with the team is in doubt beyond even the injury because of doubts over his commitment to being great.

To make matters better and worse, Arizona is a favorite to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft whether through their own pick or the Texans. So they could theoretically draft a quarterback to replace Murray. However, Murray is owed a huge chunk of guaranteed money over the next few years so cutting him isn't a great option.

A trade feels like the most likely option, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano [subscription required].

"[The Cardinals] have to find a solution to the Murray contract problem next offseason, ideally convincing some other team to take him off their hands and help defray the dead-money cost as Arizona moves on to a future without him," Graziano wrote.

Cutting Murray next offseason would result in $81.5 million in dead money. Trading him before the 2024 league year begins would cut that total in half to about $46.2 million, per Graziano.

So yeah, the Cardinals have huge incentive to trade Murray. The bigger question is who has incentive to give up assets for him?

NFL Rumors: Cowboys surprise cut candidate may not be done yet

Kelvin Joseph got some attention as a cut candidate for the Cowboys after the release of the first unofficial depth chart. The third-year cornerback was listed in a reserve role at nickelback, seemingly not even in contention for the No. 3 cornerback spot.

Over at CowboysSI.com, Mike Fischer called out Joseph for "not showing up enough" at cornerback with pressure rising to standout in the first preseason game. Otherwise he might get a good look at the chopping block.

Well, Joseph listened. At least, he received praise from Cowboys Twitter for a solid showing against the Jaguars.

There will still be a magnifying glass on Joseph as the preseason continues, but he faced his first test and passed.

NFL Rumors: Packers lose core special teams player for season

The Packers had a bunch of reasons to feel good coming out of Friday's first preseason game. Jordan Love looked the part in his brief action and Green Bay came away with a 36-19 victory over the Bengals.

But it wasn't all good news.

Tight end and special teams regular Tyler Davis suffered a knee injury during the game. Unfortunately, as Tom Pelissero reported Saturday, it was an ACL tear.

Davis caught a touchdown from Sean Clifford just before halftime, which will be the high point of a season ended prematurely.

The tight end spent the last two seasons with the Packers, taking on a heavy special teams role. However, this year he was set up to see more time on offense as the veteran presence in the tight end room. Green Bay drafted Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft in the second and third rounds but Davis' blocking ability and experience were sure to net him considerable playing time.

Now, unless the Packers go out and add another veteran to the mix, there will be much more significant pressure on the rookies to be ready to step up immediately.